Home and Heart Improvements
by christykq
Summary: This is a very long oneshot, broken into four chapters, set after 3.15. Logan buys a fixer-upper house and needs help making improvements. There is some Logan/Parker but this fic is all about the LoVe.
1. Chapter 1 of 4

**Title: Home and Heart Improvements 1/4**

**Author:** christykq

**Rating:** M for language and innuendos mostly, some sex

**Characters/Pairings:** some Logan/Parker, LoVe, ensemble

**Word Count:** 8,576 in this section; 34,118 total

**Spoilers:** This fic takes place just after 3.15 and continues AU from there.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing in the VM universe, it all belongs to the master RT and no copyright infringement is intended. Transcripts from Indigo Mantoya at twiztv dot com.

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**A/N:** This is an oneshot that is too big to post as only one document, therefore, this fic is broken into four sections. It's split for no other reason than size because I just can't write a short story, no matter how hard I try.

**A/N2:** Character's thoughts are_ italic_.

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Veronica sits behind her desk at Mars Investigations with her nose in her Art History book, studying. She has a quiz in forty-five minutes and she is not feeling very confident about her knowledge of Leonardo Da Vinci's _Last Supper_.

Feeling the stress of her quiz rapidly approaching, she doesn't acknowledge the intruder when the office door opens and a large masculine form nears her desk.

"TWO o'clock." The client says loudly, demanding Veronica's attention.

Stressing the first syllable of his phrase, the familiar voice makes the tiny investigator jump in her seat and Logan chuckles at Veronica's reaction.

"Jesus, Logan. Scare a girl much?" She places her hand over her heart, assuring the organ's location in her chest and not, as she thought, in her throat.

"_I said_, I'm here for my two o'clock appointment with your dad." Logan laughs and casually falls back into the chair in front of the receptionist's desk.

"That's not what you said." Veronica retorts as she scurries to check the appointment book under her schoolbooks and notebooks. "You're not Dad's two o'clock. He doesn't have anything until seven tonight." She scans over Keith's agenda carefully.

Logan smirks. "Just tell him I'm here please. He's expecting me."

She looks him up and down skeptically before walking to Keith's closed office door and pokes her head in the inner office. "Do you have an appointment with Logan at two?"

Keith jumps up from his seat quickly with a big grin and rounds his desk, addressing Logan loudly. "Hello Logan, I'll be right there. I lost track of time. Give me one second."

"Okay." Logan nods at Keith and stands.

Veronica leans against her father's office doorjamb watching the two men interact. _What is going on? These two obviously have something up their sleeves. _

She glares at Logan as Keith retrieves his briefcase and rushes past his daughter, kissing her forehead as he passes. "I'll see you tonight, Honey."

"Where are you off to?" She inquires. Keith ignores her question and continues out the door.

Veronica's eye narrow as Logan flashes a Hollywood smile, pulls his sunglasses over his eyes and silently follows Keith out the door.

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"Honey, I gotta head out. My guy is at the border. I should be back by tomorrow night." Keith pushes his arms through his jacket and kisses his daughter's cheek. "Can you take this over to Logan's place? He needs this by noon today and I'm not going to be able to get over there in time." Keith hands a large, sealed envelope to Veronica.

She turns the envelope over in her fingers, inspecting it closely. "What's in here?"

"Papers that Logan needs today by noon."

Veronica eyes her father. "What are you doing with Logan? Why wasn't his appointment in the book? What papers do you have to give him? What is going on?"

"It's nothing, Honey. Logan just needed help with something. Can you take that to him for me please?" Keith gives Veronica a pointed look.

"Fine." She huffs. "What's this address on the sticky note?" Her fingers run over the street address on the yellow paper stuck to the outside of the envelope.

Keith kisses the top of her head quickly and hurries to the door. "That's Logan's address." He leaves the office before Veronica can question him further.

"What?" _His address? This isn't the Grand's address._ She smiles. _This is in the '02 zip code. Did Logan buy a house? Oh I have got to see this._ Veronica grabs her bag and the sealed envelope and rushes out the door.

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_Two-twelve, two-fourteen, two-sixteen._ "Aha! Two-eighteen Dune Drive." Veronica inventories the property as she slowly pulls in the driveway: overgrown hedge, worn gravel driveway, large, wrap-around porch in need of a new paint job, broken shutters, loose door number hanging upside-down. _This can't be Logan's house?_

She notices the dark green Range Rover parked close to the house behind a large bush and the long beach path from the house to the ocean in the distance. _Oh, this is _definitely_ Logan's house._

Veronica knocks on the front door and corrects the upside-down number two on the wall to the left of the entry. She hears footsteps on the other side of the door as she watches the number fall back to its original inverted position.

Logan swings his front door open wide. "Hey."

"Hi. New place?"

"Yeah." He steps to the side and gestures his ex-girlfriend into his small, run-down cottage.

Veronica examines the interior of Logan's new house as she steps over the threshold into the large open, empty room. Beautiful but dirty light oak, random-width hardwood floors cover the entire area. To her right, a large front window covered by a torn shade shows the overrun shrubs and hedge just beyond the driveway, in the front of the house. On the far wall, two small windows flank a large stone fireplace, stretching from floor to ceiling with a rustic wooden mantle at eye level. On the back wall of the house, two large picture windows, on either side of sliding glass doors, display a pristine view of the ocean, the poorly painted wrap-around porch extending to the back and a wooden beach path leading through tall dune grasses to the beach. A small but workable kitchen fills the left corner and an expansive kitchen island jets toward the center of the room. A few steps lead to another floor and a set of dark, louvered closet doors behind the front door finish out the living space.

Veronica's eyes meet Logan's and she smiles. "Nice hardwood floors. Are you going to paint the walls or leave them obnoxious, jackass yellow?"

He shuts the door and rolls his eyes. "It's called canary yellow and it's the same color as my Xterra. It does wonders for the complexion, don't you think?" He shifts his head to the left and right demonstrating how the bright hue reflects off his skin.

"Not to mention the need for sunglasses at all times, day or night."

Logan chuckles. "Yeah, this room is the first one I'm painting."

Veronica turns her attention back to her ex-boyfriend. "Why did you move out of the Grand?" She asks softly.

He shrugs putting his hands in his back pockets. "I was looking for some place more permanent for a while now. I can only eat hotel food for so long." Logan looks down and shuffles his feet. "I was going to tell you I bought this place the night we were supposed to go out on our nice dinner date."

Veronica's jaw drops at the mention of their latest break-up, ending because of Logan's drunken misdeeds with Madison Sinclair. She quickly looks away and bites her bottom lip, swallowing back any emotion.

After a few minutes of silence Logan breaks the tense quiet. "So… um… why are you here?"

She shakes her head to free the bad memories from her mind. "Oh, um…" Veronica hands Logan the sealed envelope. "…my dad asked me to drop this off to you before noon today."

He nods. "Thanks. Settlement papers I wanted your dad to look over for me." Logan holds up the envelope then places it on the kitchen island.

"Oh, he was helping with the house settlement?" Veronica nods in understanding.

"He didn't tell you?"

"No. He said it was some paperwork you needed. He didn't give me any details."

Logan laughs. "The man knows a thing or two about client confidentiality, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he does." Veronica roams around the room, touching the mantle with her fingertips. She stops at the back window and watches the tall grasses sway in the breeze. "This place is really nice, Logan." She locks eyes with the new homeowner. "I'm glad to see you're moving on…" She pauses and he swallows loudly. "…from the Neptune Grand. You look happy."

He breathes a sigh of relief and holds her gaze for an extended moment then looks away, nervously running his fingers through his hair. "I've only lived here for one night, Ronnie. Wait until I'm refinishing the porch or painting the freakin' yellow walls with the tenth coat of paint to see how happy I am."

She chuckles. "Well, just remember all the hard work you put into this place will only make it that much sweeter once it's complete. This is a great place, Logan, and I love it. I think you're going to be happy here for a long time."

Logan shrugs shyly. "Thanks."

"Well, let me know if you need any help. I'll see you around." Veronica says as she walks to the front door.

"You might regret that offer when it comes time to refinish the floors." Logan yells after Veronica as she shuts the door, leaving him in the middle of his living room alone. _It would be a lot nicer if you were living here with me, Ronnie._

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Veronica's cell phone vibrates as she's leaving her criminology class. She pulls it from her pocket and checks the caller ID. _Logan? What the hell does he want? _"Hello."

"Hey. Um… I tried calling your dad but he's in Santa Fe or something. Do you have a minute to help me out?" Logan asks insecurely.

"Uh, sure." She strides down the outdoor walkway to her car. "What's up?"

"My toilet is broken and I don't know how to fix it." He mumbles into the phone.

Veronica laughs at the thought of Logan not being able to use his bathroom and panicking. "We're not talkin' dirty water here are we because I'm not cleanin' up your dirty shit water. Sorry." She teases, taking advantage of Logan's unstable state.

"No. Veronica…" He whines. "…the thing in the back of the tank won't stop running and the handle is loose."

"Did you jiggle the handle?" Veronica deadpans.

"Ronnie!" Logan sighs, reigning in his anger. "Can you help me or not?"

"Yes." She concedes. "Don't get your panties in a bunch. I'll be over in a few minutes. In the meantime, go to the hardware store and buy a toilet repair kit. The sales guy can help you get the right thing. This is a common repair."

"Thanks. I'll see you in a few." Logan disconnects their call and heads off to the hardware store.

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Veronica trots down the four steps leading to Logan's living room, dusting her hands off dramatically. "Another job well done."

"Thanks, Vee. I appreciate it." Logan says, following her into his living room. "I couldn't call a plumber just because the plunger thingy wasn't working and you said it yourself, once all the repairs are finished this place is going to be sweet." He admires his broken, limping homestead.

Veronica picks up her jacket and bag from the only piece of furniture in the room, a brand new brown leather sofa, when her eye catches the new curtain rods above the windows. "Logan?"

"Yeah."

"Did you hang those curtain rods?" She points to the black wrought iron rods hanging over the large window in the back of the house and the smaller window next to the fireplace.

"Yeah." He looks at the small blonde skeptically. "Why?"

She laughs and replaces her stuff on the sofa, never taking her eyes off the metal rods. "Because they don't match. Did you measure them?" She nears the wall and examines the rods closely.

"Measure them? I measured the window if that's what you mean." He moves toward Veronica and the window treatments in question.

Veronica turns to Logan and describes the problem clearly. "No, I mean, did you measure from the floor to the top of the window? So when you buy your curtains they will fall at the correct place on the wall." She points to the two rods that are not positioned near each other but are close enough that Logan's mistake is visible to the naked eye.

Logan listens intently as Veronica continues. "See curtains come in certain lengths: ninety-six inches, eighty-four inches, seventy-two inches, et cetera. So, you have to measure on the wall where eighty-four inches is so you know where your curtains will fall when you hang them on the curtain rods. These two curtain rods are not at the same height so when you buy your curtains they're going to look funny being different lengths. Curtains usually go to here or here or here." She points to the places on the wall just under the windowsill, at the base board trim and on the floor.

"Aaaah, fuck!" Logan states.

"It's not a big deal but it needs to be corrected or it's going to look bad." Veronica says softly, trying to spare his feelings. "Do you have a screwdriver, we can fix them right now."

Logan looks at his watch and bites his lower lip. "Sorry. I can't do it now. I have plans with-..."

"Oh." Veronica interrupts, realizing he has plans with Parker, _his girlfriend_. "Right, I'll just go get out of your hair then." She hurries to her coat and bag.

"No, Veronica, you don't have to rush out. I didn't mean you had to leave." Logan grabs her arm. "Please, don't run out like this."

She pauses and looks into his eyes. "I don't want to keep you from your date, Logan."

"You're not keeping me from my date. I just don't have time to start another project right now. It just took us two hours to repair my toilet and that was supposed to be an easy fix."

Veronica laughs. "Yeah, um, most home repairs usually take twice as long and cost twice as much as you think they will."

"That's good to know." Logan rubs the back of his neck with his hand.

"But I'm glad you're trying to do this stuff first, before you hire someone to do it for you. Home repairs aren't hard, you just have to have common sense. Time and money help too." She chuckles. "I really should leave though. We'll fix the curtain rods some other time."

"How 'bout tomorrow?" Logan asks quickly as Veronica goes to the door. "We can order food and fix my mess."

"Um, actually… you should paint before you hang the curtain rods. It makes the painting go a lot quicker."

Logan glances at the curtain rods and the bright yellow wall around them. "Oh. I… I… don't really know where to start when it comes to painting." He says softly.

"I can help you if you want. It's not hard but there are a few tricks to make the job easier." She looks around the room. "How 'bout we paint this weekend?"

"Okay. How's ten sound?"

"How 'bout eight, otherwise we'll be painting for weeks."

"8 a.m. it is." Logan strides to the door as Veronica walks to her car. "See ya Saturday."

"Bye." She climbs in her car and backs out the driveway with a smile on her face. As she drives down the road, she thinks about her time with Logan. _Damn, Veronica what are you doing? He just wants you to help him fix his damn house. He's over you and moving on to greener pastures._ Her smile falls from her face and she smacks the steering wheel with her palm. "Damn it."

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"Dude, what is your fuckin' problem tonight?" Dick yells over the music at the Pi Sig frat party.

Logan is leaning against the wall, near the bar, watching the people on the dance floor shake their asses to the thumping beat of the bass, coming through the speakers in various locations in the house.

"What? I don't have a problem."

"Yeah, you've been milking that beer for the last twenty minutes and your girlfriend is grinding up against that geeky pledge's leg and you're not over there kicking his ass. What the fuck?" Dick asks then chugs his beer and places the empty bottle on the bar behind him.

"Nothing. I'm just tired. I guess." Logan groans.

"Too tired for a beat down?" Dick raises an eyebrow in question.

Logan turns his back to the dance floor and hunches over the bar. "Too tired to care." Logan mumbles and motions to the bartender for another beer. "I've been working on my house a lot lately and I'm tired. That's all." He says more clearly.

"Why did you even come here then, Dude?" Dick turns and hunches on the bar, matching Logan's position.

"Parker wanted to come to the party." Logan monotones, sips his beer and changes the subject. "How's living with your dad, Dude?"

"Oh shit, Dude, it sucks and I can't fucking wait until he goes to the big house and I can move in your place."

"Dick, my place isn't that big. It's only three bedrooms and you have to cook your own food."

"Hotel food sucks anyway." Dick sips his beer. "We should go surfin' in the water behind your place, Man. You wanna go this weekend?"

"No, not this weekend. I think I'm gonna start painting the living room this weekend."

"Dude, your rich, why don't you hire someone to do that shit for you?" Dick questions and gulps his beer.

"Nah, I got some help. I don't need to hire anyone." Logan says quietly and doesn't make eye contact with his best friend.

Dick smirks, eyeing Logan. "Dude, you sly dawg, how'd you get Ronnie to help you?"

Logan's eyes widen as he casually looks over his shoulder to make sure Parker is out of earshot. "We're friends, Dick. She was dropping off paperwork for her dad and we fixed my toilet. That's it, nothing more."

"Uh huh." Dick turns around and leans his back against the bar, watching the dancers on the dance floor again. "What was she wearing?"

"Tight green sweater and black jeans that hugged her ass…" Logan response immediately and glances at Dick's wide smile and lowers his head. "Fuck."

"Fuck, here comes Parker. I'm out. Call me when you want to surf. Later." Dick walks away from the bar as Parker approaches Logan, trailing her fingernails affectionately down his back. "Hey."

He looks up and smiles. "Hi. You want a drink?"

"Yeah, I would love one."

Logan waves the bartender down and orders Parker a rum and coke. "You almost ready to go? I'm really tired."

Parker frowns. "We just got here." She cuddles up next to her boyfriend and whispers in his ear as her fingers tickle his back. "Come on, dance with me."

He kisses her lightly on the lips. "Not tonight." Logan touches her cheek softly with his fingers. "I need to get out of his smoky frat house before my head explodes from this loud music."

Parker sucks down the rest of her drink and sighs. "Okay, let's go."

Logan squeezes her shoulder affectionately and takes her hand, leading her out the front door of the frat house and across campus to her dorm room.

Parker leans into Logan and plants a hot, steamy kiss on his mouth, an unspoken invitation to stay the night.

He slowly breaks their kiss, resting his forehead on hers. "Not tonight, Parker. Another night, okay?" He speaks softly, twisting the ends of her hair in his fingertips.

She sighs deeply and kisses his lips quickly. "Okay, another night."

"Bye."

"Bye." Parker tiptoes into her room and clicks the door shut with a smile.

Logan exhales a deep breath and walks to his Range Rover.

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Veronica pounds on the door with her fist. "Logan, open up." She says and forcefully knocks again.

"It's eight o'clock." She chirps and beats the door again. _I should of known he wouldn't wake up at eight o'clock on a Saturday morning unless there were ten foot waves cresting somewhere._ She leans her forehead against the thick, oak door and whacks her hand on the wood surface again. "Wake up, it's time to-…"

Logan whips the door open swiftly, causing Veronica to stumble into his house and into his chest.

She regains her balance and looks up at Logan, finishing her sentence with a bright smile. "…paint." She is surprised to see he is showered, shaved and wide awake, ready to paint. _Mmm, he smells good._

"Good morning, Miss Mars." He notices her long hair is tied into two knots at the base of her head, behind her ears and she's wearing a stained shirt, a ripped pair of shorts, and sneakers with… _oh God_… knee socks.

Veronica smiles and holds up the large carton of steaming, hot coffee. "I brought joe and lots of it." She says as she places it on the kitchen counter.

_Damn, she smells good._ He thinks as she passes him and enters his home. Logan closes the front door and draws her attention to the supplies he bought with a whisk of his arm. "I got all kinds of brushes and rollers, masking tape, stirrers and painters' cloths. Do you think six gallons will be enough? If not we can always get more, right?"

Veronica nods as she approaches her ex-boyfriend with her arms behind her back. "Six gallons will be a good start." She grins mischievously and stands toe-to-toe with Logan.

He can't help but smile in response. "What are you grinning about, Mars?"

"I bought you a housewarming present."

"Good. Let me guess, it's behind your back?" He smirks.

"Yep. But can you guess what it is?" She raises her eyebrows in a challenge.

He easily reaches around her body, without touching her, and grabs the large book from her hands. "A How-to book for first time homebuyers?" Logan asks as he lifts it over her head and pages through the large book.

"You cheated." She lightly punches his stomach. "I also brought spackle to fill the holes from the curtain rods." Veronica nods her head toward the dismantled wrought iron rods sitting on the floor in the corner of the room.

"Good thinking." Logan snaps the book closed and places it on the kitchen counter, turning toward Veronica. "Where do we start, tiny blonde one?

"How 'bout we spackle the holes in the walls, then we'll tape up the edges and I'll paint the low trim and you can paint the high trim." Veronica instructs as they prepare for their long day of painting.

"A little music first." Logan aims the iPod dock remote toward the iPod base on the kitchen countertop and he begins covering his new sofa with a drop cloth.

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Veronica rolls her shoulders, extending her stiff muscles and looks across the room at Logan stretching to paint a far corner of the crown molding, at the juncture where the ceiling meets the wall. He's shifting his body weight from the top step of the small stepladder and humming to the music.

Logan's cell phone rings from the kitchen counter. "Ronnie, can you get that for me?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure." Veronica jumps up from her spot on the floor, wipes her hands on her shorts and reads the caller ID. "It's Dick."

"He probably wants to surf. Answer it if you want to." Logan hollers as he continues to paint the trim.

"Hello Dick." Veronica breathes into the phone, channeling a phone sex operator and Logan almost drops his paintbrush at the sound of her voice.

"Hi. Who's this?" Dick says in his best bedroom voice. "You sound fuckin' hot."

"Oh I am and I have an identical twin sister." Veronica coos as Logan shakes his head, continuing to paint.

"You're fuckin' lying. Who the hell is this?" Dick yells.

She returns her tone to its normal level. "Dick, it's me Veronica."

"Ronnie, don't fuckin' do that to me again. I almost came in my jeans."

"Ew, Dick, you're gross. Logan's painting, what do you want?"

"I wanted to play Halo and see if he's up for it. When will he be done fuckin' painting his damn house?" Dick whines.

"I doubt he wants to play but let me ask him." Veronica moves the phone from her mouth and speaks to Logan. "Dick wants to play Halo tonight. Are you up to it?"

"No, we're painting. I'll call him when we're done but by the looks of it, we're not going to be done until tomorrow." Logan yells over the music as he moves his stepladder down the wall a few feet and continues his work.

"Did you hear that, Dick? He's painting and he'll call you when we're done but it probably won't be until tomorrow." Veronica repeats into the phone.

"Fuck. I'm freakin' bored now, God damn it."

"Well, you could always come over and help us out then Logan will get finished quicker." Veronica quips.

"Shit, no. Tell him to fuckin' hire someone to paint and call me when he's done. Bye."

"See ya." Veronica snaps Logan's phone closed and speaks over her shoulder, in Logan's direction. "Call your boyfriend when you're done painting."

Veronica walks to the refrigerator and opens it, surprised to see it filled with, among other things, a twelve pack of Skist. She smiles and yells. "You want anything to drink?"

"I'll take a beer." Logan steps down from the ladder and places his paint brush across the top of the open paint can, wiping his brow with the back of his hand.

Veronica opens the beer and hands it to her ex-boyfriend. "Here's to your new house." She holds her can of soda up as Logan clanks his bottle against the aluminum cylinder.

"To my new house." He smiles proudly and they each swallow a big gulp from their drinks, look over their beverages at one another and lock eyes.

Their extended gaze ends when Logan's cell phone rings.

Her eyes drop to the counter as he wipes his paint drizzled fingers on his shirt, glances at the caller ID and answers his phone. "Hey."

Veronica turns her back to Logan to give him a little privacy and wanders over to the large picture window in the back of the house.

"I'm painting my living room." He says softly.

She watches the waves crash on the beach, pounding into the sand repeatedly as Logan lowers his voice and walks to the far end of the living room.

A seagull swoops down toward the beach and spreads its wings, gliding on the ocean breeze as Veronica sips her soda and enjoys the peaceful moment. She's broken from her thoughts when her cell phone rings as she glances at Logan laughing quietly into his phone and answers her cell. "Hey Dad."

"Hi Honey, what are you doing? You were up and out early this morning. I didn't get to see you." Keith states softly.

"I'm helping Logan paint his yellow living room light brown. What's up?" Veronica sips her soda.

"I'm leaving for a few days. I should be back by Wednesday or Thursday. Will you be okay without your dear ole Dad until I nab this bail jumper?"

Logan finishes his call and throws his phone on the counter as he dips his head back and empties his beer while Veronica chats with her Dad.

"Yes, Dad. Go nab your bail jumper. I'll be fine all by myself until Wednesday or Thursday."

Logan shifts his head, listening to the younger Mars' side of the conversation. _Wednesday or Thursday? Shit, she's going to be alone for the entire week. I hate when Keith leaves her in that empty apartment by herself. Backups a good watchdog but it still sucks she'll be alone. _

"Can you do me a favor? Can you let Backup out before you leave and make sure he does his business, 'cause I'm not sure what time I'll be done here at Logan's?"

"Sure Honey. I love you. Be good. I'll see you next week."

"Bye Dad. I love you too." She hangs up and turns around to see Logan's eyes burrowing into her skin.

"Your Dad is leaving again?" Logan asks softly.

"Yeah." She throws her phone on the counter. "You hungry? 'Cause I'm starving."

"Luigi's or Cho's Pizza?"

"Like you have to ask." She smirks.

"Right, where is my head? Luigi's it is." Logan picks up his phone and, instinctively orders three of Veronica's favorite entrées for dinner, from her favorite Italian restaurant in Neptune, without even asking the tiny blonde what she wants to eat.

_Jesus, he knows me too well._ She shakes her head and finishes her soda.

Logan figures he can eat the one meal she doesn't want and she'll be too stuffed to complain about it after eating the remaining two dinners.

The couple sits on the plastic-covered leather sofa eating their meals, sharing comfortable conversation, a few wisecracks here and there, and quickly return to their painting.

After a few more hours of painting and casual discussion, all of the trim in the room was completely covered in a soft, off-white color. The fresh coats of paint perked up the dingy, neglected room, despite the bright yellow walls, and Logan and Veronica were happy with the results.

Veronica unsuccessfully stifles a big yawn as Logan closes up the cans of paint and hands her the dirty paintbrushes to clean. "How 'bout I make some coffee?"

"Mmm. Coffee sounds wonderful." She stretches her achy muscles and rolls her shoulders while she walks to the kitchen sink to scrub the paint from the brushes.

Logan sees a flash of skin as Veronica's shirt lifts at her waist when she extends her arms in the air. He swallows audibly and tries not to stare as his heart races in his chest and he forces himself to look away. _God damn it, Logan, get a fuckin' grip._

They drink their coffee snuggled, under two different blankets, on either ends of the couch and chat about everyday topics. Logan notices Veronica's eyes fluttering closed and he watches her sleep for quite a few minutes, memorizing her features and listening to her deep, rhythmic breathing. "I love you Veronica." He whispers faintly.

He slowly rolls out from under his blanket and off the sofa, careful not to wake the tiny blonde woman that has a death grip on his heart and finds his keys.

Logan tiptoes out the front door and drives to the Mars' apartment. He lets himself in with the hidden spare key as Backup greets him with several sloppy kisses. He walks the pit bull down the walkway quickly to pee, gathers a few pieces of Veronica's clothing and he and Backup return to his seaside cottage.

His absence went unnoticed by the sleeping detective on his sofa.

Backup investigates his new surroundings and settles at Veronica's side as Logan turns off the lights and goes to sleep in his bedroom.

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Veronica cracks one eye open slowly when she smells coffee and hears a door shut. _What time is it?_ She takes in her surroundings cautiously. _And what the hell am I still doing at Logan's? Oh my God! Backup! I never got Backup! _She sits up rapidly and throws off her blanket. "Logan?" She stands up ready to rush home to rescue Backup when she sees Logan walking toward the house on the wooden beach path with Backup at his heels. _He went and got Backup for me? Wow, when did he do that? That was sweet._

Logan sees Veronica standing on the inside of the sliding glass doors and he smiles. She responds with a bright smile and a small wave. He opens the door and Backup dances with excitement around Veronica's legs.

"Good morning. When did you get Backup?" Veronica asks sweetly and bends to greet her pit bull, receiving dog kisses as she scratches behind his ears.

"You fell asleep on the sofa last night so I went over to your place and got Backup and a change of clothes for you so you wouldn't have to go all the way home and then turn around and come all the way back this morning." Logan shrugs shyly and goes into the kitchen to pour two cups of coffee.

"Thanks Logan. You didn't have to do that." She looks at her ex-boyfriend with a warm smile.

"No problem." He returns her warm smile and slides a full cup of coffee in her direction on the counter.

Logan sips his coffee and pauses for a minute, not knowing how to proceed with his next sentence. "I also wanted to give you this." He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a key. "Now, don't freak out about this but I want you to have this house key."

Veronica's mouth falls open as she holds her hand up and shakes her head no. "A house key? I can't take that. Logan, I-…"

"Ronnie, relax." Logan states firmly. "It's just a spare key."

"But, I- I shouldn't…"

"Veronica, it's a key to my damn house. We're friends and you're the only one I trust to have an extra key to my house, if something happens or I'm not here. It's not a big deal. Okay?" Logan clarifies.

The tiny blonde bites her bottom lip and sighs, taking the key from his fingertips. "Alright. But I'm only taking this to make you feel safe at night." She smirks, pushes the key into her pocket and takes a long sip of her coffee.

Logan breathes a sigh of relief and drinks his coffee, hiding his smile behind his cup.

"Now where are my clean clothes?"

"Right there." He points to the pile of laundry sitting on her messenger bag. "You know where the shower is, help yourself."

Veronica runs her fingers through her messy bed head. "Yeah, I need a shower."

"Make it snappy or we'll be painting all damn day, Mars."

Veronica goes upstairs to the guest bathroom with the newly repaired toilet and flips the lock shut, leaning against the door and looking at her reflection in the mirror. _He gave me a house key? He gave me a house key!_ She pulls the key from her back pocket and holds it up in front of her face, examining it closely. _I have Logan's house key._ She shakes her head. "It's just a spare key." She mumbles, sits the key on the counter and undresses.

While she showers, Logan finishes his coffee and begins preparing the room for painting.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

"I'm tired." Veronica whines as she wipes her forehead with the back of her hand and inadvertently dabs her cheek with her wet paintbrush. "Ahh and I just got paint all over my cheek." She complains as she smears the swatch of paint down the side of her face.

"Me too." Logan steps down the stepladder, laughing at Veronica's mishap and treads directly on the paint-covered lid of the open paint can, coating the bottom of his foot with light brown paint. "Fuck!" He yells as he hops on one foot, careful not to get paint on the hardwood floor.

Veronica slumps on the floor in a fit of giggles as Logan bounces on one foot, swearing at his own stupidity.

Logan begins to see the humor in his situation and joins Veronica in laughter, dropping to the floor.

"Are you going to start painting with your feet now?" Veronica laughs. "Have you been watching _My Left Foot_ again?"

Logan wipes his foot off with a rag and throws the messy towel at his ex-girlfriend, hitting her in the face as his laughter increases.

"Hey." Veronica chuckles and throws the paint rag back to Logan, missing his body completely.

"You throw like a girl."

"Shut it." She laughs. "I'm too tired to hit my target."

"Uh huh. You keep telling yourself that, Mars." Logan takes a deep breath and smiles at Veronica, across the room. "Thanks for your help, Ronnie."

She returns his smile. "We still have curtain rods to hang and I'm so tired I can't lift my arms."

He looks at the freshly painted walls. "How long do you think it will take to hang the rods?"

"I don't know. An hour, maybe."

"'Cause I don't have any curtains to hang up yet so the curtain rods can wait if you want to do that another day." Logan offers softly. "I'm pretty tired too."

"Mmm. Maybe I'll take you up on that because I still have a paper to write tonight and I'm exhausted."

"Okay, another day then." Logan shrugs and rests back on his arms, exhaling loudly.

Veronica and Logan lock eyes as Backup lies next to Logan's extended legs and he absent-mindedly tickles behind the pit bull's ears.

She admires the nicely painted walls surrounding them and smiles. "We did a nice job on these walls."

"Yeah, we did, didn't we?"

"Light brown is so much nicer than jackass yellow." She smirks. "Well, let's get this paint cleaned up. I have a paper to write." Veronica climbs to a stand from her position on the floor as Logan remains in his seat, scratching Backup's ears.

She walks to Logan's spot, hovering over him and holds her hand out to help him up. "Come on. Let's go or you'll be writing my paper for me."

He reaches up and grabs her hand, feeling an electric spark pulse through his body as their hands touch. Logan pulls on her hand, trying to pull the tiny woman off-balance but she stands her ground and glares at her ex-boyfriend. "Nice try, Echolls. Now, move your ass."

Logan moans and rises to his feet with Veronica's help and they begin cleaning up the painting supplies.

"Thanks for your help, Ronnie. I really appreciate it." Logan says as Veronica walks to the door with Backup at her feet.

"No problem. Thanks for bringing Backup over last night. Call me when you're ready to do the curtain rods. Later." She says with a wave as she escorts Backup to the car and leaves Logan's house.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

"Hey." Wallace says as he sits at Veronica's table in the Hearst College food court.

Veronica yawns a long, drawn-out, sleepy yawn.

"Am I keeping you awake?" Wallace jokes.

"I was up late writing a paper last night." Veronica gulps her coffee. "I got your message by the way. Sorry I never got back to you."

"How long is this paper you were writing anyway? I left you that message yesterday afternoon." Wallace lifts an eyebrow in question.

"Oh, it's not that long but I was busy yesterday and didn't get to my paper until about eight last night." Veronica explains.

"I thought you said you had off this weekend? What were you doin', Supafly?"

"I was helping Logan out." She mumbles into her coffee.

"Oh really?" Wallace asks skeptically.

"It was nothing. He bought a little fixer-upper up on Dune Drive and I was helping him paint his living room."

Wallace shakes his head at his best friend.

"What? We're friends. He doesn't know anything about home improvements and I do." She shrugs.

"He has a girlfriend, you know."

Veronica clenches her jaw. "I know. We are friends. He's with Parker and I'm…" She clears her throat. "…single and nothing happened. We painted all weekend and I was up late last night writing my stupid Psych paper."

"Alright. I'm staying out of it." Wallace takes a bite of his breakfast. "Be careful, Girl. That boy has some voodoo power over you and I don't want to have to pick up the pieces when he breaks your heart… again."

"We're friends." She checks her watch and gathers her belongings. "I gotta get to my class all the way across campus. Later."

"Peace." Wallace smiles as Veronica leaves the food court.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Veronica sits on a bench on Hearst campus, sipping her coffee and waiting to meet Mac and Parker as she watches students hurry to their classes around her, in the quad.

"Hey." Logan flops down on the bench next to her. "You're up early, this fine morning."

"Do you have to be so peppy? I'm workin' on about two hours sleep." Veronica says grumpily, sipping her coffee.

"Hot date?" He jokes, spreading his legs out in front of him and arms out wide over the back of the bench, taking up as much space as his extended limbs will allow.

"Ha." She huffs. "Stake out." Veronica pauses, glancing at Logan's easy-going and happy demeanor. "You're in an awfully good mood. Hot date?"

He chuckles. "Is that an offer, Ms. Mars?" He winks in her direction and continues. "I just hit a gnarly set at Conner's Point this morning."

She nods. _Thank God he didn't say hot date. I don't think I could handle that this morning. _

"I got curtains the other night. Dark green satin and white what-do-you-call 'ums to go underneath the curtains?"

"Blinds? Shears? Shades?"

Logan snaps his finger and points at the grumpy blonde. "Shears. They should look cool with the light brown walls, don't you think?"

"Yeah. When do you want to do the curtain rods?" Veronica yawns. "I'm not doing anything tonight but sleeping."

"How 'bout tomorrow night?"

She nods slightly. "Alright. I'll be over at eight."

"Cool."

"Hey, I didn't know you did mornings." Mac says toward Logan.

"Hi, I didn't expect to see you until lunch." Parker chirps with a big smile and leans toward Logan, kissing his lips lightly.

He quickly stands from his relaxed position. "I don't normally do mornings unless the waves are good. I went surfing this morning and I was on my way to get breakfast when I saw Ronnie, so I stopped to be friendly." Logan explains.

"I didn't know you do friendly." Mac says straight-faced and turns to Veronica. "Ready?"

"Yeah." She says to Mac as she stands and watches Parker kiss Logan on the lips again as the couple talks softly to each other.

Rolling her eyes, Mac steps away from the kissing couple. "Suck face later, Parker. We're going to be late for class."

"Alright, alright." Parker pecks Logan's lips and joins her friends as Logan goes in the opposite direction in search of breakfast.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

"You better not be canceling on me because I am pulling into your driveway as we speak." Veronica states as she turns her Saturn into the gravel driveway.

"No, I'm not canceling. I just wanted to let you know I'm running late so just let yourself in with your key and I'll be there in about a half hour."

Veronica whines. "A half hour, Logan? Why are you running late and don't even say you're playing Halo at Dick's?"

Logan laughs. "No, I was actually studying at the library and lost track of time. I just left the library, I'm not even to the Rover yet since I parked all the way across campus."

She huffs. "Fine. But don't be surprised if I'm asleep when you get here. It's after my bedtime."

"Make yourself at home in the guest room, Ronnie. That's why it's there. I'll see you in a bit." Logan hangs up before Veronica can respond.

She lets herself into Logan's house with the spare key, looking around at the details of his cottage.

Admiring the newly painted walls she smiles. _We really did a nice job on the walls. Oh my gosh._ Veronica spots the pile of living room curtain rods, curtains and shears lying in the corner of the room. _He wasn't kidding, these curtains are going to look great._ She continues looking around the room. _It seems Logan purchased a small kitchen table and chairs since I was here last. Nice, simple, fits in the kitchen nicely. When did he get such good taste?_

Veronica's curiosity gets the best of her as she glances up the steps. _I've been upstairs, it's not a big deal. I'm just using the bathroom. _She justifies internally as she sneaks to the end of the hall and peeks into Logan's bedroom.

The master bedroom is a large off-white room in need of a fresh coat of paint with a gorgeous view of the beach from a good-sized window in the back of the house. He has a dark-stained oak bedroom set that is very masculine and suits Logan well. His king-sized bed is unmade and the sheets look very expensive. _Mmm, I remember how Logan's sheets feel around me when he's… NO! Veronica STOP! You are friends and he has a girlfriend. Stop thinking about his strong, warm body wrapped around you, twisted in those expensive sheets._ Veronica shakes her head to rid her mind of her naughty thoughts of Logan when she notices a few photographs sitting on his dresser.

She steps into his bedroom to get a closer look. _Oh my God, they're all pictures of me._ Veronica glances at the framed pictures: the fab four before homecoming, smiling and posing for the camera; herself and Lilly in pink bikinis, laying out by the Kane's pool; herself scowling at the camera behind jail bars with her hair braided and her t-shirt's sleeves pushed up to showoff her fake tattoo on her bicep; a whole group of '09ers in their Neptune High caps and gowns goofing around, presumably before the graduation ceremony with Mac, Wallace and herself, in the background, sitting at a lunch table, laughing; and, Veronica's favorite of the selection, herself and Logan at the beach.

She picks up the last photograph and smiles as she remembers the day it was taken.

The summer after senior year, she and Logan went to the beach for the day. She soaked up the sun while Logan surfed for hours. Once the tide went out, they splashed in the water and walked along the beach hand-in-hand, falling deeper in love. They strolled the boardwalk and shared cotton candy, resting on a bench Veronica brought out her camera and held it in front of them, poking Logan in the side with her elbow. "Say cheese" she said as she snapped their self-portrait with the sun setting behind them. The picture captured herself and Logan giggling at the stupidity of their photo, happy, together and in love with the sunset over their shoulder.

Veronica gently runs her fingertips over the wooden frame. _We were so happy. I wish we could be like that again. God, I miss him. His deep voice whispering in my ear, his sexy smile meant only for me, his strong hands on my body and, oh God, his tongue. Damn, he definitely knows how to use his tongue. _She sets the picture on his dresser again and walks out of his room, down the hallway and past the guest room just as Logan enters his house.

"Hi Honey, I'm home." He laughs and throws his backpack on the floor near the front door.

Veronica stands at the top of the steps watching her ex-boyfriend. "You know you really should lock your safe when a private investigator comes to your house. They may let their curiosity get the better of them."

"Nothin' you haven't seen already." Logan shrugs.

_He has a point._ She thinks as he goes to the refrigerator to retrieve a beer. "You want something to drink?"

"Skist please." She says as she joins the homeowner in his kitchen.

"Find anything good while you were snooping?" Logan inquires as he hands Veronica her soda.

"Nah. Just checking out the guest room. Purple, huh?"

He laughs. "You like that, do ya? I think the only room the color-challenged decorators didn't get to was the master bedroom."

She raises an eyebrow in question.

"It's off-white." He smirks at the tiny investigator. "Like you didn't know that already."

Veronica remains quiet and sips her soda. "I saw the curtains you picked. I think you spent a little too much time with Lynn's designer Fernando."

He laughs at the memory of Lynn's very flamboyant designer. "Damn, Ronnie, how did you remember that guy's name?"

She shrugs.

"He hit on me one time." Logan rolls his eyes and sips his beer.

"What the pink satin running suit didn't do it for you, Echolls?"

"It was the pink and white polka dot ascot and matching sneakers that made me hot and horny." He laughs.

"Be honest, he gave you fashion advice, didn't he?" She giggles.

"No, he always wanted to measure me for pants." Logan shutters.

"Eww. TMI." Veronica shakes her head at the vision and walks to the pile of window treatments in the corner of the room. "Okay, we need…"

"Everything is right here." Logan joins his ex-girlfriend and points to the toolbox on the floor at their feet.

Veronica looks down at the toolbox and up at Logan's face.

"Guess who read the How-to book?" He grins.

"Good to know you can read." She snarks and begins measuring the walls.

/tbc


	2. Chapter 2 of 4

**Title:** **Home and Heart Improvements 2/4**

**Author:** christykq

**Rating:** M for language and innuendos mostly, some sex

**Characters/Pairings:** some Logan/Parker, LoVe, ensemble

**Word Count:** 9,409 in this section; 34,118 total

**Spoilers:** This fic takes place just after 3.15 and continues AU from there.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing in the VM universe, it all belongs to the master RT and no copyright infringement is intended. Transcripts from Indigo Mantoya at twiztv dot com.

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**A/N:** This is an oneshot that is too big to post as only one document, therefore, this fic is broken into four sections. It's split for no other reason than size because I just can't write a short story, no matter how hard I try.

**A/N2:** Character's thoughts are_ italic_.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

"Okay, do it now." Veronica moans.

"No, wait, Ronnie. I'm not ready yet." Logan whines.

"Aaaaahhhh!" She screams as the very heavy, black wrought iron curtain rod in her hands pops away from the wall and sends the extremely small screw sailing across the room for the third time in the last forty minutes.

"Damn it! Veronica, I told you I wasn't ready yet." Logan huffs in frustration as he turns to search for the tiny dry wall screw.

Veronica drops the iron curtain rod down from above her head and lets the blood run back into her arms. Sagging her shoulders from exhaustion, she sighs and leans her forehead against the wall. "Who engineered these fucking things anyway?"

"Some moron that's never used a screwdriver a day in his life." Logan barks from his hands and knees on the living room floor, hunting for the lost hardware.

The first two window treatments attached to the wall quickly, without too many problems. The curtain rod the pair is currently trying to hang is not cooperating and they have been working on it for the last hour.

They have been struggling to hold the very heavy and awkward two-piece wrought iron rod in the proper place as they fumble with three extremely small screws. The hole to drill the screws through the rod into the wall are tucked in close to the base, making screwing each of the tiny screws into the wall extremely difficult, resulting in dropped hardware, stripped screw heads and multiple swear words.

"How did you manage to get these curtain rods up by yourself before?" Veronica asks quietly from her place on the stepstool.

"Different rods. These are heavier with two rods. I bought 'em when I decided on hanging the shears and the curtains." Logan explains. "Aha!" He holds up the small black screw. "Finally found the fuckin' thing."

Veronica looks at the curtain rod in her hand and then up at the wall. "Why don't we use different screws for this rod. Those screws are too small and they are going to pull out of the wall if you tug on the curtains too forcefully."

Logan shrugs. "Um, okay. Do we have different screws?"

She smiles a broad grin. "Yes, as a matter of fact, we do."

"How did I know that you would have other screws with you?"

Veronica climbs down the stepstool and digs in her messenger bag.

"What else do you have in that bag of yours, Mars?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Veronica explains. "I bought a pack of wall anchors just in case the walls were paper thin like the walls in my apartment." She holds up the box of wall anchors and extra long screws.

Taking out a few longer screws, Veronica climbs up the stepstool. "Okay, why don't you hold up the rod and I'll do the screwin'?"

Logan playfully whines. "Why do you get to screw?"

Veronica rolls her eyes but doesn't reply to his baited question.

"Fine." Logan mumbles and steps up on the bottom step of the stepladder, holding the heavy wrought iron curtain rod at the perfectly marked place on the wall as Veronica places the screw in the hole and starts twisting the screwdriver.

Their bodies were very close and Logan could smell Veronica's perfume as he moves closer to her hair and inhales her own personal Veronica scent.

Veronica's arm grazes Logan's shoulder as she screws the second screw in the wall and she immediately feels sparks from the contact as goose bumps appear on her skin. _Oh God. He's so close, I can feel his body heat._ She moves slightly closer and subtly rubs her arm against his bicep.

As she begins screwing the last screw in the wall, Veronica adjusts her position on the ladder to maneuver the screwdriver into the tight work area and leans her body against Logan's back and right arm. As she works the screwdriver she intentionally pushes her breast into his shoulder, rubbing his back under the disguise of attaching the curtain rod to the wall.

Logan feels Veronica's boob touch his shoulder and he innocently tilts back against her body, enjoying the contact. He holds his breath as he feels her nipple poke his shoulder lightly and his dick hardens in his pants. _She's trying to kill me._

"Yes!" Veronica yells, breaking Logan out of his thoughts. "Their in!"

Logan exhales his breath and glances at his ex-girlfriend, still standing in his personal space, her body touching his. "Great job." He whispers and smiles.

Their eyes meet and she returns his smile. "Thanks." She breathes and bends closer to her ex-boyfriend, licking her lips with anticipation as Logan moves his head closer and his cell phone rings.

"Shit." He mumbles and steps off the ladder to answer his phone, leaving Veronica on the stepstool, breathing heavily and supporting the half-hung curtain rod.

"Jesus" She says softly and shakes her head. _Veronica, he has a girlfriend. Get a fuckin' grip. _

"Hello." Logan grunts as he glances at Veronica and speaks softly into his phone. "Oh, hey." He pauses listening the person on the phone. "Dude, I'm in the middle of something, I'll call you back later." He closes his phone and hangs up on Dick before his friend can complain.

He throws his phone on the countertop. "Dick."

"Hmm." Veronica acknowledges Logan and remains in her spot, holding the heavy curtain rod against the wall and thinking about their almost-kiss.

His eyes travel up and down her body and he breathes a deep sigh. _Jesus._

"Are you okay holding that until I can get the other half of the rod and a few screws?" Logan asks as he finds the needed supplies.

"Yeah, just hurry. My arms are already asleep." She whines.

Logan grabs the screws and the other half of the curtain rod and steps up the ladder. "Okay, you hold this and I get to screw this time."

"What, no foreplay?" She teases.

"No, we're both too tired for that." He laughs and she rolls her eyes.

"And here I thought your middle name was stamina."

"It's _endurance_. How many times do I have to remind you that, Ronnie? It's _endurance_ not stamina." He jokes.

"Maybe you can _remind_ me some other time, right now, screw the damn things into the wall before my arms fall off." Veronica gripes but Logan doesn't miss the meaning in her statement and his heart swells with hope that maybe some day they can be together again.

Finally, both pieces of the curtain rod were screwed to the wall and the duo continued to the last two windows in the room.

Completely exhausted, Logan and Veronica step back from the walls and admire their work.

"Wow, they look great."

"You have good taste. The curtains are beautiful and the shears will let light in without your neighbors seeing everything you're doing." Veronica states.

Logan holds up his hand in Veronica's direction and she slaps his hand in a high-five celebration. "Thanks for all your help."

"No problem. I had fun." The edges of her mouth turn up ever so slightly in a smile.

"You know I wasn't joking around before, the guest room is all yours. You can stay over if you want." Logan says quietly, looking directly into Veronica's eyes.

She meets his stare and nods. "Thanks. I really like your house. It's warm and comfortable." Veronica breaks their eye contact and looks out over the room, lowering her voice. "I like to be here with you."

He smiles and his heart warms with her admission. "I like when you're here with me."

Logan shoves his hands in his back pockets, shuffles his feet and nervously asks just above a whisper. "You wanna stay tonight?"

"Yeah, I do." Veronica slowly turns toward her ex-boyfriend. "In the guest room."

He smiles. "I knew purple was your color." Logan turns and walks up the steps, leaving Veronica standing in the middle of his living room. He stops on the fourth step and turns around, surprised she didn't follow him up the steps. "Well, come on. The bed doesn't make itself, you know."

He continues up the stairs and down the hall as Veronica picks up her messenger bag and follows him to the second floor.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Logan swings his front door open wide, answering the forceful knocking and smiles when he sees Keith Mars' cheesy smile looking back at him. "Hey, Keith. Come on in."

"Thanks. Here's a little housewarming gift for you." Keith hands Logan a home improvement book with a bow on it and looks around the freshly painted living area and whistles. "Nice. You didn't waste anytime getting the painters in to work their magic, did you?"

"Painters? Shit, I did it myself." Logan looks over the same exact book Veronica gave him earlier. "Do you Mars share a brain or do you just shop at the same stores?" Logan points to Veronica's gift on the sofa.

Keith laughs. "Two great minds." _Just how often have you been seeing my daughter?_

Logan opens the refrigerator. "Beer?"

Keith eyes the young man and gives him a pointed look. "A beer sounds great. And you will be having a…"

"Soda. I have class in an hour." Logan hands the beer to Keith and opens his soda.

Keith points to the walls with his beer bottle. "So, you did this yourself?"

"Yeah, with help."

"Veronica?"

Logan glances at Keith, searching his face for some sort of reaction. "Yeah. She's helped me out a lot since I moved in."

"You two have been spending a lot of time together lately."

"Yeah."

"Are you two dating again?" Keith asks cautiously.

"No. I'm seeing Parker." Logan responds quietly.

"Hmm." Keith nods and waits a minute before speaking. "For some reason, my daughter has a soft spot in her heart for you and, I think, she always will." He looks deep into Logan's eyes. "She loves you and I don't think she will ever be happy with anyone except you. She just has to realize that for herself."

"She's weaseled her way into my heart too." Logan chuckles and drops his eyes to the soda in his hand.

"She has a way of doing that." Keith laughs. "Give her some time, she'll come around."

"We're working on being friends right now."

"Good. That's a start." Keith smiles fades from his face as he asks his next question. "So, when she called the other night and said she was staying over…"

Logan smiles at the investigator's not-so-subtle questions. "She slept in the guest room."

Keith raises an eyebrow in question.

Logan smirks. "Alone."

Keith slaps Logan on the back. "Good. Let's keep it that way until you're at least thirty." He walks around the room, examining Logan's home improvements. "Nice curtains. Did Veronica pick them out for you?"

The younger man scoffs. "No. I picked them out all by myself."

Keith laughs as he touches the fireplace mantle with his fingers. "What are you going to be improving next?"

"I think I need to put a ceiling fan in where that light is and put a better light over there." Logan points around the room at the ugly overhead light in the middle of the living room and the outdated light hanging over the kitchen table and chairs.

"Be careful when you play with electric. Turn off the power at the circuit breaker and double check the wires before you start messing with them." Keith instructs. "That shit can kill you."

"Understood." Logan nods and smiles at Keith's use of the minor swear word.

Keith drains his beer bottle and points it at Logan. "And make sure Veronica doesn't do anything stupid when you're rewiring that stuff."

Logan nods in understanding.

"Nice place. It's beginning to take shape." Keith puts his empty bottle on the kitchen counter and places his gifted book under his arm, turning to leave Logan's cottage. "I'll take this with me since, apparently, my daughter shares my brain."

Logan walks Keith to the door. "Okay, but I expect a replacement gift within a week."

"Don't hold your breath on that one, Kid. See ya."

"Thanks for stopping by Keith." Logan says as Keith jumps in his car and drives out the driveway.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

"So, big plans this weekend?" Veronica asks as she bites a pile of pancakes from her fork.

"Nope. Bronson and I will probably be hiking or canoeing or something outdoors." Mac answers sucking down a big gulp of fruit smoothie and rolling her eyes.

Veronica hitches her head to the side. "But you can't hack government main frames when you're outdoors. Unless, of course, you have a solar panel on your laptop."

"Oh darn, I'm installing the solar panels next weekend." Mac snaps her fingers in mock frustration. "How 'bout you? Big plans?"

"I have to work a few hours on Saturday then I'll probably…" Veronica's voice trails off into a mumble as she shoves pancakes in her mouth.

"Probably, what?" Mac asks skeptically.

"It's nothing." Veronica's eyes never meet her friend's face.

"Uh huh. Spill it Mars. What super clandestine scheme do you have planned for this weekend? And please tell me I can help."

"Nothing covert. I just have been helping a friend out a lot lately and I figured they might need more help. That's all."

"I wasn't aware you had that many friends that needed help. Which one are you being so friendly with?" Mac taunts with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

Veronica takes another bite of her pancakes. "Ogn." She says with her mouth intentionally filled to capacity.

"Was that a 'Logan'?" She lowers her voice to a whisper.

Veronica answers with only a shoulder shrug.

Mac leans in closer to her friend over their table in the food court. "I hope you're not being _too friendly_ with my roommate's boyfriend, Bond."

The blonde rolls her eyes and huffs. "We're just friends. No _friendliness_ going on. He is with Parker and he would never cheat on her. We've just been fixing up his house, that's all." Veronica eats another large bite of pancakes.

"Do you want to be more friendly?" Mac asks innocently.

"Maybe… in the future." Veronica admits. "Right now, we're having fun fixing up his house and learning how to be friends."

"Hi guys, mind if we sit down?" Parker chirps with a tray full of food in her hands and Logan at her side.

"Go for it." Veronica says happily and casually eyes Mac as Logan and Parker sit at the two remaining seats at the table. "We were just discussing our lack of plans all weekend."

"You're not going to the Pi Sig party on Saturday night? There supposed to have three bands playing." Parker says excitedly.

"No thanks. I've seen the last of my Pi Sig parties, thanks." Veronica says as she sips her drink.

"All the GHB and beer you could drink for only five dollars." Logan mocks.

"I don't think I'll be going to the Pi Sig party either." Mac says softly. "I think Bronson wants to go Frisbee golfing or something equally as pointless."

"Aw, come on you guys. We're in college. We need to have fun." Parker encourages.

Mac and Veronica begin to clean up their places.

"Fun? You don't know fun until you've been rocking climbing. Let me tell you." Mac says straight-faced as she and Veronica get up from the table.

"What Jell-o shooters and frat boys aren't your idea of fun, Mars?" Logan teases.

Veronica looks up in the air, acting as if she's pondering Logan's question. "No. I'm thinkin' Psych assignment, a vanilla latte and a warm bubble bath. Now that's fun."

"Ewwwww, that sounds nice." Parker coos.

"It would be more fun in a Jacuzzi tub with someone to join you." Logan adds.

"But I don't have a Jacuzzi tub." Veronica says directing a pointed look at her ex-boyfriend in a challenge, knowing that Logan's new house has a large, two-man Jacuzzi in the master bathroom.

"I do." Logan states with a smirk, wiggling his eyebrows at Veronica.

Mac rolls her eyes. "You say that to all the girls." She snarks as she and Veronica leave the food court on their way to their next class.

"No, only the important ones." Logan says under his breath, unnoticed by Parker as she waves goodbye to her friends and settles in to eat her breakfast.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"I'm working at my dad's office right now. What's up?"

"Nothing. I just thought I would offer my Jacuzzi tub if you were serious about your plans of fun this weekend."

"Are you going to make it more fun and join me?" Veronica flirts through her cell phone to see what Logan's answer will be.

"Is that an offer, Ronnie?" Logan asks in a low voice.

"No. I don't think your girlfriend would appreciate you and I in your Jacuzzi together." Veronica says with a small amount of disappointment in her voice.

"I'm not going to be there to join you tonight, maybe another time. I'll be with my girlfriend at the Pi Sig party. You're welcome to use the tub."

"Can I use the guest room too?" Veronica asks softly.

Logan rolls his eyes even though his ex-girlfriend can't see him over the phone. "Of course."

"My dad's not home tonight, so can I…"

"Backup is always welcome at my house. Just as long as he doesn't poop on the floor or chew my furniture."

"I'll think about it."

"Later, Ronnie. Don't work too hard."

"Thanks Logan. Bye." Veronica disconnects their phone call and sits thinking through Logan's offer. _I could go home and squeeze in my little tub or I could go to his house and spread out in his huge two-man Jacuzzi._ She laughs. _Like there's even a decision to make. I wonder if he's even going to come home tonight or if he's going to stay at Parker's. Well, either way, Backup will be with me to protect me if I'm there alone. I hope he comes home. I don't want him to spend the night with Parker. She's too perky for him. Oh God, he wouldn't bring her home for the night if he knew I was going to be there, would he? No. He wouldn't do that. _

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

"Dude, I thought there was supposed to be three fuckin' bands playing tonight. What the fuck?" Logan looks around the lamer-than-usual Pi Sig party.

"Yeah, talk to Chip fuckin' Diller, Dude. He totally fucked up the entertainment for the night." Dick looks around Logan to see who he brought to the party and he's surprised to see Parker isn't hanging on him. "Dude, you're here alone?"

"No, she's dancing over there." Logan points with his beer bottle.

Dick nods in understanding and drinks from his beer.

"Dude, I bought a big ass TV yesterday. Wait until I beat your ass in Halo on that fucker. It's gonna be awesome."

"Let's go now. This party sucks." Dick finishes his beer in one big gulp.

"No, Dude, we just got here. Parker will be pissed if we leave already. Give me an hour and we'll leave then, okay?" Logan offers.

"Alright. One fucking hour. Later." Dick turns and leaves Logan standing at the bar by himself as Parker flails around the dance floor with a few of her friends he doesn't know.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Veronica locks the front door of her apartment as Backup leads her to her SUV with her messenger bag and overnight bag slung over her shoulder. She thinks about soaking her tired body in a nice, warm bubble bath and sipping her vanilla latte as she smiles at the thought. _Mmm._

She quickly lets herself and Backup into Logan's cottage and sees the newest addition of furniture: the huge flat-panel television sitting in the corner of the room, sitting on a warm brown oak television stand. "Now that's a TV." She laughs and continues up the steps, in pursuit of her warm bubble bath.

Veronica sets her messenger bag and overnight bag in the guest room, slips her shoes off at the edge of the bed and throws her jacket on the bed coverings. She twists her hair into a messy knot on the top of her head as she walks into Logan's master bathroom, turns on the bath water and spills a splash of bubbles into the water.

As the tub fills, she returns to the guest room and retrieves her large cup of latte and her iPod and goes back to the bathroom, closing the bathroom door behind her.

On the edge of the tub, two large, fluffy bath towels sit with a bottle of bubble bath, a silk eye mask, three pillar candles, a pack of matches and a note that simply says 'Enjoy!'

She smiles, lights the candles, undresses and slides into the warm bath, making herself comfortable and places the iPod earphones in her ears. She sets the eye mask over her eyes, settling in the tub and relaxes peacefully under the thick layer of bubbles.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Logan pulls his truck into his empty driveway and feels a little bit disappointed that Veronica's car isn't in the driveway. _Damn it. She didn't stop by._

"Dude, hurry up. I gotta take a shit and if you don't fuckin' unlock the damn door, I'm gonna drop a load right on your front step." Dick shuffles to the front porch with Logan a few feet behind him.

"I'm hurrying and you better go up to the farthest bathroom in the house so I don't have to smell your stickin' ass." Logan barks as he unlocks his front door and Dick pushes past him, through the dark living room and jumps up the steps, running into the master bathroom.

Backup sleepily walks down the steps and greets the homeowner and instantly, Logan realizes that if Backup is in his house then so is Veronica. In a panicked run, he bolts up the stairs yelling. "Dick! NO!"

Just as he shouts, he hears Dick bellow. "HOLY FUCK!"

Dick's close proximity and loud voice startles Veronica out of her relaxed state as she jerks awake and pushes the eye mask off her face. "DICK! GET OUT!" She screams as she pushes the bubbles over her breasts and tucks in close to the large tub wall.

Logan appears at the bathroom door, just over Dick's shoulder, breathing heavily. "Jesus. Sorry Ronnie. I didn't know you were here until I saw Backup." Logan shoves Dick out of the bathroom by his shoulders and gives Veronica an apologetic smile, biting his lower lip. "Sorry."

Dick stretches to see any bit of Veronica's naked flesh as Logan shuts the door and forcefully pushes the blond surfer away from the bathroom. "Move your ass, Dick."

"You didn't say Ronnie was naked and in your fuckin' bathtub, Dude." Dick shoves Logan back lightly.

"I didn't know she was here. Her car isn't in the driveway." Logan snaps. "Don't you have to take a crap?"

"Nah, the urge left when I saw a rockin' blonde in your fuckin' bathroom." Dick stretches to see through the closed wooden door as he lowers his voice and steps closer to his friend. "Dude, one question: why the fuck aren't you in there with her?"

"We're friends, Dick!" Logan says through clenched teeth and pushes Dick out of his bedroom. "Move! Now! Dick!"

Dick shakes his head. "Dude, you're a fuckin' disappointment to straight men everywhere."

Logan follows Dick downstairs to play video games and drink beer, forgetting about the naked, blonde female in the master bathroom.

As soon as Logan shut the bathroom door and apologized, Veronica exhaled a sigh of relief and settled back into the tub comfortably. _Good thing the candlelight was dim or Dick would've seen quite a show. _Shemoves the last remaining bubbles around her body_. I guess I should get out of the tub. I've been in here for a long time._ She looks at her pruney fingertips. _Yep, time to get out._

Veronica steps out of the bathtub, lifting the drain with her toe and towels off. She puts on an opaque sleep shirt and warm pajama pants, brushes her hair and joins the guys in the living room.

Logan can smell Veronica's bodywash before she appears at the bottom of the steps and his dick swells in his pants.

Dick notices the tiny blonde walking across the room behind the sofa. "Damn, Ronnie, you smell good."

She sits on the far end of the sofa and tucks her feet under her body then leans toward Dick and punches him solidly in the shoulder. "Thanks, you Douche Bag."

Logan chuckles and kills Dick's video character, taking advantage of Dick's distraction.

Dick moves away from Veronica and rubs his arm. "Ow. What was that for?"

"For walking in on me and trying to see me naked, you Ass."

"Hey, I'm a red-blooded American male. If there's a naked female dangled in front of me, I'm lookin' at her tits." He shrugs with certainty. "I would of jumped in the fuckin' tub with you if Logan wasn't ready to beat my ass."

Veronica grimaces. "Ew." She shoves his leg with her foot. "Stay over there, you Perv."

Logan restarts the video game and Dick's attention goes to the television again.

Veronica watches the guys' animated men run around. "Why are you guys home so early? What happened to the Pi Sig party?"

"The party was really lame so we left after about an hour and came here so I could kick Dick's ass on my newest purchase." Logan smiles confidently at Veronica then quickly looks back to the video game.

"Nice purchase, by the way, but I don't think it's big enough."

"Shit, this bitch is awesome." Dick states as he fights another video character.

"Where's you car? I didn't think you were here 'cause the lights were out and your car isn't in the driveway." Logan glances at the tiny blonde on the other end of the sofa.

"It's out on the street." She returns Logan's glance quickly. "Where's Parker? She didn't go to the party with you?"

"She was there but wanted to stay and dance with her friends when Dick and I left."

"Oh." Veronica says softly. _He not jealous that she's dancing at a frat party, with her friends? And he's not there to watch over her? Hmm. Isn't that interesting. Sounds to me like someone isn't very vested in his relationship. _

The three friends play video games on Logan's new television late into the night until Veronica stretches and leaves the room. "Goodnight." She simply says as she retires to the guest room.

Once Dick hears the guest room door click shut, he turns to Logan with his mouth hanging open, awestruck. "Dude, is she living here?"

"Veronica?" Logan laughs. "No. Daddy Mars would never let his precious daughter live in a house, unsupervised with a guy."

"What the hell? She's in your fuckin' tub, her dog is laying here like he owes the place and now she waltzes upstairs like she's been doing that for months."

"Jealous?"

"No, I fuckin' want answers, Dude. Why are you holdin' out on me?"

Logan laughs. "First of all, Veronica doesn't waltz anywhere and, not that it's any of your business, but she's been staying in the guest room every once in a while when she gets too tired to drive home. That's it. I'm not holding out on you. We're not sleeping together. She sleeps in the guest room and I sleep in my room. We're friends and we enjoy hanging out together. End of story."

"Does Parker know?" Dick asks softly.

"Does Parker know what? That I'm hanging out with a friend of mine? No, there's nothing for her to know." Logan defends.

"Dude, Parker is going to fuckin' flip the hell out when she finds out Ronnie has been over to your house before she has. Not to mention the fact that your ex-girlfriend has been sleeping in your house." Dick shakes his head. "Dude, I know women. Parker is going to go ape shit on your ass."

Logan shrugs his claims off. "She can go as ape shit if she wants, we're not exclusive and I can do whatever I want with my friends. She's not my mother."

"Man, you are so dead." Dick chuckles and turns back to their video game.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Veronica slowly walks down the steps, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and walks into Logan's kitchen. She jumps a foot off the ground when she sees Logan and Dick, dressed in board shorts and surf shirts, looking back at her.

"Shit. You scared the crap out of me." She leans against the kitchen island, yawning as Logan slides a large cup of coffee toward her.

Dick barely moves his body when he sips from his coffee, sitting on the other side of the counter, half asleep.

"Are you guys just leaving?" Veronica asks, cuddled around her hot coffee cup.

"Yeah, we just got up and Dick needed caffeine. We're going right out back." Logan points to the swells in the ocean in the rear of his property.

Veronica nods in understanding and sips her coffee.

"How long are you going to hang around today?"

"I have to work for a few hours this morning. Then I can come back, if you want to get something done." Veronica says softly.

"I was thinking about having a party for Parker's birthday next weekend, but I have to fix these two lights first." Logan points to the two outdated overhead lights in the room.

"Can I leave Backup here while I go to work?"

Logan shrugs and nods affirmative.

"Do you have plans tonight?"

"Nothing firm. I kinda left Parker at the party last night and she's gonna be pissed so I may have to do some damage control."

Dick watches the couple's interaction silently. _Why don't they just fuck and get it over with? Jesus. _

"Oh." Veronica puts her coffee cup down, preparing to run up to the guest room as soon as possible. "Then you don't want me hanging around here tonight."

Logan grabs her wrist and looks into her eyes. "I don't?"

Veronica's eyes fall to her wrist and slowly climb up his arm to his face.

He raises his eyebrows when her eyes meet his. "We'll probably go to a movie. I told you before, you can stay as long as you like."

Veronica releases the breath she had been holding and relaxes when Logan removes his hand from her arm. "I don't want to get in the way of your date."

"You're not." Logan cuts off her words with his with more bite in his tone than he intended.

She lowers her head and smiles internally then sips her coffee after a long moment. "I have to go get ready for work. I hope you catch a gnarly set." Veronica smiles and holds up her hand shaking it in a surfer-like motion as she backs to the steps and retreats to the guest room.

"You are the man, Dude. You're fuckin' juggling two hot blondes and they both want to fuck your brains out." Dick shakes his head. "How the fuck do you do it?"

Logan rolls his eyes and turns his back to his best friend to put Veronica's coffee cup in the sink. _There's only one blonde that I want to fuck._ He thinks and swiftly turns on his heel, pointing at Dick. "Come on, we've got surfin' to do."

The two men walk out Logan's back door, grab two of Logan's surfboards off his back porch and walk to the end of the beach path and through the sand to shred high tide's biggest waves.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Dick jumps up from the sofa and celebrates his video volleyball team's victory with an obnoxious dance as Logan's cell phone rings.

Logan shakes his head and quickly answers his phone before it goes to voicemail. "Hey."

"Hi, what are you doing today?" Parker says sweetly.

"Um, right now, I'm playin' Xbox with Dick. What are you up to?" He says as he watches Dick continue his dance around the living room and rolls his eyes. "Oh, um, I wanted to apologize for leaving you at the lame party last night. How long did you stay after we left?"

"I stayed for a few hours. I was dancing with my friends and then we went to my friend's boyfriends house and partied with him and his roommates."

"Oh yeah, anyone I know?" Logan says casually.

Parker sighs. _He doesn't even care I was partying with other guys._ "No, I don't think so. They were all upper classmen." Parker pauses. "So, do you want to get some lunch with me?"

"Nah, I have some stuff I have to get done. How 'bout a movie tonight?"

"Do you want to get dinner too?" Parker asks shyly.

"We can, if you want." Logan says nonchalantly.

"Okay. That sounds great." Parker chirps.

"How' bout I stop by your room at eight?"

"Okay. I'll see you then." Parker smiles at the thought of spending alone time with her boyfriend.

"Later." Logan hangs up before Parker can respond.

Parker's smile fades as she hears the dial tone in her ear. _Gosh, could you get off the phone any quicker Logan? _

Logan and Dick resume their video game for about twenty minutes when Veronica comes through the door. "Honey, I'm home."

"Just in time to order lunch, _Honey_." Logan says with a smile. "Dick is about to eat the arm off the sofa, he's so hungry."

Veronica flops on the couch in between the two '09ers. "I could eat."

Both guys look at the tiny blonde in amazement.

"Yeah, that's one way of putting it." Logan laughs.

"What? I'm a little hungry." Veronica says innocently.

"Ronnie, you are always hungry." Dick states. "What are we ordering? 'Cause I gotta eat or I'm gonna die."

"Italian." Veronica says without hesitation and tilts her head in Dick's direction.

Logan shrugs in agreement. "I could eat Italian."

Dick looks at Veronica as she bats her eyelashes influentially.

He exhales loudly, glances over the blonde detective's shoulder at his best friend smirking back at him and concedes. "Fine. Italian."

"I knew you would see it my way." Veronica grins.

"It's the fuckin' head tilt. It's evil, Ronnie." Dick complains.

"Alright, let's order food then I want to replace these lights. I have to take Parker to a movie tonight so I don't have too much time." Logan commands.

"Order me manicotti please, I'm gonna go change real quick." Veronica says as she jumps from the sofa and sprints up the steps.

"Can you take me back to the Grand before you guys start fucking around?" Dick whines.

"No. We're already short on time, Dick. I'm not driving you over to the Grand until I leave tonight to pick Parker up at Hearst."

Dick exhales loudly and sinks into the sofa. "This sucks so much. Why don't you just pay someone to do this shit?"

"Because it's fun and it's gonna be sweet when it's finished."

"It might be fun for you, it's your fuckin' house, plus, Ronnie just might rub up against you while you're painting or something." Dick complains as he thrusts his hips lecherously.

Logan groans. "We're just friends, Dick."

"Yeah, whatever."

Logan shakes his head and orders their lunch.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Logan, Veronica and Dick spend the remainder of the afternoon renovating the lighting fixtures in Logan's living area and kitchen.

Replacing the ugly light over the kitchen table with a new, modern hand-blown glass fixture was a fairly easy, straightforward job that only took about an hour with few complications.

Hanging the ceiling fan in the living room was a different story. Removing the outdated overhead living room light with a contemporary ceiling fan was easier said than done. The trio of friends' arms had been twisted and tangled, lifting and attaching the fan to the ceiling while they balanced on one stepladder for over five hours.

Veronica and Logan's close proximity was uncomfortable at first but once they started working, touching bodies was inevitable and necessary and their contact was not considered sensual in any way. They had one goal to accomplish and they were under a time limit. Dick's closeness to the couple and his continuous threesome innuendos may have had an adverse effect on any sexual tension between Logan and Veronica.

Veronica glances at the clock on the DVD player. "Ah, Logan?"

"Yeah." He answers as he screws a blade on the ceiling fan, stretching his arms above his head in an uncomfortable way.

"What time are you supposed to meet Parker? 'Cause its 8:05 right now." Veronica says timidly.

"Oh fuck!" He barks as he clenches his teeth and twists the screwdriver more quickly. "I'm surprised she didn't call. I'm supposed to be at her dorm room right now."

"Uh oh. Someone is gonna have to kiss some serious ass." Dick laughs and Veronica rolls her eyes.

"Wasn't the movie tonight supposed to make up for leaving her at the Pi Sig party?" Dick taunts.

"Shut up, Dick." Logan glares at his best friend and steps down the ladder to call Parker.

Veronica hides her smirk as Dick chuckles next to her. She can't help being happy that things between Logan and Parker are currently not running smoothly.

"I don't know why he wastes his time with her." Dick says under his breath for only Veronica to hear. "He's still totally in love with you."

Veronica rolls her eyes again. "Yeah, right. That's why he's talking to his _girlfriend_ right now on the phone."

"Hey." Logan says softly into his phone as he walks to the back door, watching the waves break in the distance. "I'm sorry. I lost track of time. I can be there in an hour."

"Where are you? What are you doing that you lost track of time, Logan?" Parker snips.

"I was hanging a ceiling fan and replacing lights in my kitchen. The ceiling fan was not cooperating. Do you still want to go to a late movie?" Logan says sweetly.

"I guess."

Logan doesn't miss the disappointment in Parker's voice as he continues. "I'll jump in the shower and come right over."

"Okay. I'll see you when you get here." Parker hangs up before Logan can reply and Logan takes a moment to calm his irritation before he slaps his phone shut.

"I gotta…"

"Just go. Dick and I will finish up here." Veronica cuts off Logan's explanation. They share a warm smile before Logan darts up the steps to the master bedroom.

"I guess you're driving my ass home then." Dick says as more of a statement than a question.

Veronica sighs. "Fine. Let's get these last few blades on and clean up first."

"You wanna get some dinner delivered before we leave?" Dick eyes the tiny blonde next to him on the stepladder.

"Okay. Italian?"

"No. We had Italian for lunch. I'm not watching you wolf down another whole plate of manicotti for the second meal in a row. We're getting Chinese and that's final." Dick emphasizes his point with a stern head bob. "And don't even try the head tilt 'cause I'm not buying it this time and Logan's not here to be take your fuckin' side."

Veronica smiles mischievously. "Fine. Chinese… but you're buying."

Dick rolls his eyes. "You've sucked Logan's trust fund dry, I guess you're gonna start working on mine now?"

Veronica punches Dick in the arm firmly and laughs as he stumbles off the last step of the ladder, grabbing his arm. "That's it. No egg rolls for you." Dick taunts.

"You're risking your life if you don't order Ronnie egg rolls, Dick." Logan says nonchalantly as he comes down the steps and scurries around the room, collecting his car keys, phone and wallet.

Veronica can smell her freshly showered ex-boyfriend from across the room and she inhales deeply, embedding Logan's scent in her brain forever as she watches him rush around the room. _Damn, he smells good and looks good. Nice shirt. Simple, white t-shirt and jeans which doesn't exactly say 'I'm putting out an extra effort for you' though. Maybe Dick has a point. Maybe Logan _is_ still in love with me and Parker is just an easy lay. _Logan's voice snaps Veronica out of her thoughts.

"Are you two going to play nice without me here to referee?" Logan looks from the blonde surfer to the blonde investigator.

"I guess." Veronica drones.

"If I have to." Dick monotones. "We're getting food delivered before Ronnie drops me off at the Grand."

Logan raises his eyebrows in surprise.

"He's buying me Chinese food. I guess I can swing by the Grand and push him out as I roll past." Veronica shrugs, defending her actions.

"You're not even going to stop the car?" Dick asks incredulously.

Logan laughs and Dick narrows his eyes at Veronica.

"Later." Logan scampers out the door.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Logan runs his hand through his hair, nervously and knocks on Parker's dorm room door. _Why am I so fuckin' nervous. It was a mistake. If she's pissed at me then I just go home and hang out with Dick and Ronnie again._

Parker opens the door and gestures for Logan to enter her room. "Hi." She says coldly.

He kisses her cheek as he passes and enters her room. "I'm really sorry. Are you ready to go? Maybe we can still make a movie."

"Why don't we just go to dinner, I haven't eaten anything all day and we can talk. I feel like I haven't seen you in days." Parker says quietly with an unreadable facial expression.

_Great. She's giving me the cold shoulder. Wonderful. This night ought to be tons of fun._ "Okay." Logan looks around the room, trying to ignore the uncomfortable silence in the dorm as Parker gets her jacket and purse.

"I was thinking, your birthday is coming up. We should have your birthday party at my house." Logan says as they leave Parker's dorm room.

A small smile creeps across Parker's face. "Really? You want to have a birthday party for me? At your new house?"

He looks into her eyes and smiles. "Sure. Why not."

_Sure. Why not? Geez Logan, don't get too crazy now. _"Wow, I'm finally going to see your place? How many people should we invite?"

Logan shrugs. "I don't know. My house is small but we could probably invite forty or fifty people. I don't have much furniture for people to sit on but I have a pretty big living room. It would be fun."

"Okay. That sounds great." Parker smiles in spite of her cold mood toward her boyfriend.

"Cool. You tell your friends and I'll tell mine and we'll have a party on Saturday night."

Parker glances at Logan's face and grabs his hand as they walk down the hall toward Logan's SUV.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Logan sees the television flickering in his living room when he walks from his SUV to his front door. He opens the front door and is greeted with a sniff from Backup and a big grin from Veronica.

"You're home early." She whispers, lying on his sofa, cuddled under a fluffy blanket.

Logan shrugs and walks to the sofa, lifts her feet off the cushion and sits, placing her feet on his lap. He notices Dick sleeping on the floor in front of Veronica and chuckles as he begins to rub Veronica's feet tenderly. "Yeah, we just went out to dinner. We kind of missed the movie because I was running so late."

He notices _The Big Lebowski_ playing on the television and watches for a moment before he speaks softly. "I thought you were dropping Dick off at the Grand after dinner."

"Well, we got our food and started playing video games. I beat his ass, by the way, and then we saw _The Big Lebowski _was on and we started watching. The next thing I know, Dick is snoring and you walked through the door." Veronica smiles warmly at her ex-boyfriend. "Do you mind if we stay over again tonight?"

Logan continues to rub Veronica's feet as he nods negative and gathers his thoughts. He takes a deep breath and he speaks quietly. "I told you before you're welcome to stay here whenever you want to. I love when you stay with me in my house and I would be perfectly okay with you living here if you wanted to…"

Veronica's eyes widen with his words and Logan can hear her breath hitch.

His eyes climb to her face and he smiles, holding his hands up in a surrender gesture, he continues quickly. "…in the future." He laughs as she exhales her breath.

"Veronica, I know we've had our issues in the past but I am really enjoying our friendship. We're being civil, kind and, dare I say, _mature_ with each other and I think we _need_ to be friends with each other right now, Ronnie."

Veronica gasps playfully as she listens carefully, smiling.

"…I know I screwed up and I'm glad that we're trying to work past that one stupid night that I regret more than any other thing I've ever done in my entire life…" He pauses, looking at her feet in his hands and continues softly.

"…Veronica, I love you and I always will. I'm trying to improve my life so that one day you will see my good qualities and come back to me…"

"Logan-…"

"Let me finish." He looks directly in Veronica's eyes. "I can wait until you're ready to be with me, Veronica. But I want you to know that no one can compare to you and no one ever will. I'll be here for you when you're ready and then, Veronica, some day I'm going to marry you and we'll live a happy, _normal_ life together."

Veronica swallows audibly and Logan smiles warmly.

"When you're ready, Ronnie…" He pats her legs. "…I'll be here waiting for you."

"Logan, I'm enjoying our friendship right now, too, and I think we need to learn how to be friends again before we start anything more than that…" She smiles and wiggles her toes into his leg. "…I could get used to staying here when my dad is out of town but we'll see about living here." She shakes her head, chuckling to herself. "I don't think my dad would be too happy about that."

Veronica pauses for a moment, biting her lower lip and speaks very softly. "Do you love Parker?"

He laughs out loud. "God, no. She's just a placeholder." Logan winks at his ex-girlfriend. "And I haven't slept with her either, so you don't have to ask."

The tiny blonde looks away, biting her bottom lip and forcing her smile off her face.

After a moment of silence, Veronica asks another question. "Were you going to kiss me the other day when your cell phone rang?"

Logan smirks. "Maybe."

"I wanted you to kiss me the other day when your cell phone rang..." She grins mischievously and looks at Logan through her eyelashes. "…but I'm glad you didn't. Not yet. We're not ready for that yet."

"Some day, Ronnie, some day, I'll kiss you again and you'll know that you're the only woman for me." He says in a low, sultry bedroom voice and Veronica's heart skips a beat at the intensity of Logan's tone.

Veronica nods yes, repeatedly, to confirm Logan's declaration. "I know." She mutters as Logan stands up and walks to her end of the sofa, bends and tenderly kisses the blonde's hair softly, resting there for a moment, before he continues to the kitchen and retrieves a beer.

"You want a soda?" Logan asks as he reaches into the refrigerator.

"Please." Veronica squeaks, milling over the meaning of their conversation.

Logan returns to the sofa and hands Veronica her soda as they sit and relax, watching _The Big Lebowski_ together.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Logan opens his front door and allows Parker in his seaside cottage.

"Oh. My. Gosh. Logan, this is incredible." She skips through the large living room and kitchen area.

"Am I your first guest?" She asks hopefully.

"No." He laughs to himself. "I've been here for a few weeks. I've had a couple of visitors." Logan pauses. "I wanted the place to be presentable before I had a party."

"It's beautiful and the view is fabulous. You painted all of this by yourself?" She points to the expansive painted walls.

"Well, I had help but, yeah, I painted and hung the curtains, the light and the ceiling fan." He says, shutting the door and stepping into his living room.

Parker studies the room, taking in every detail.

"Redoing the kitchen is probably the next project."

"Wow, you can redo kitchens?"

"No, but I know someone that probably does." He shrugs. "It's can't be that difficult."

Parker's eyes lock on the steps to the upstairs and Logan takes the hint. "Come on, I'll give you a tour."

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Parker flutters around Logan's living room, arranging and rearranging folding chairs and tables, placing them perfectly for her nineteenth birthday party.

Logan stands on the stepladder, hanging purple streamers from the ceiling fan, when there's a soft knock on the front door.

Parker looks at Logan with an excited smile. "I guess that's our first guest." She beams.

Logan doesn't miss Parker's use of the word 'our' but doesn't make an issue of it. _Now is not the time for that. _"Can you answer the door since my hands are full?" He glances at his girlfriend then returns his attention to the Scotch tape and purple paper.

"Sure. My pleasure." Parker bounces to the front door and swings it open wide just as Veronica is about to slip her key into the lock.

"Veronica! You're early. You're our first guest." Parker chirps with a big smile, gesturing for the tiny blonde to enter the house. "Welcome. Come in and make yourself comfortable. I'll give tours of the house when more people get here."

_Jesus, now she's giving tours like a fuckin' cruise director._ Logan shakes his head.

Veronica freezes in her hunched position, hovering near the door lock with her keys in her extended hand. "Oh, hey Parker." She looks past the tall blonde at Logan and smiles, chuckling nervously. "I… um… I'm kind of… ah… not ready to party just yet." Walking into Logan's house, she holds up her bulging messenger bag and points to her grubby jeans and haggard t-shirt.

Parker's brow furrows in confusion as she closes the door behind Veronica.

"I need to shower and change my clothes before I'm ready to boogie down." Veronica says apprehensively, looking at Logan for reassurance before she reveals too much to Logan's girlfriend.

"And you came to Logan's house to shower and change your clothes?" Parker snips, challenging Veronica with her hands on her hips.

Veronica takes a deep breath and stands tall ready to defend herself when Parker continues her rant. "Do you shower at _my boyfriend's_ house often, Veronica?"

"I was-…"

Parker notices the house key in her hand and glares at her boyfriend quickly then turns her fierce attitude toward Veronica. "You have a key to _my boyfriend's_ house?" She spits.

Logan steps off the ladder and confidently walks toward his girlfriend and ex-girlfriend, ready to referee this brewing fight. "Parker." He says in warning.

"_You_ have a key to _my boyfriend's_ house!" She yells. "I guess you don't need a tour if you have a key to his freaking house, huh? You've been here before, haven't you, _Veronica_? Do you sleep here too?"

"Park-…"

"And here I thought it was charming that Logan wanted his house to be perfect before anyone was allowed over. You're probably one of the _friends_ that's helped him paint and stuff." Parker huffs incredulously. "Are you-…"

"STOP!" Logan shouts. "Parker! Stop for one fucking second!"

Parker purses her lips and clenches her jaw with Logan's reprimand, looking across the room stubbornly.

Veronica jumps at the chance to defend herself against Parker's accusations. "I do have a key to Logan's house, _Parker_! As a matter-of-fact, I _did_ help him fix everything in this place." Veronica steps closer to the taller blonde, tenaciously. "Logan and I are _friends_! We hang out together! And _you_ better get used to it because…" Veronica pokes Parker's shoulder with every syllable. "…I'm. Not. Going. Anywhere!"

Logan beams internally at the sound of Veronica's words.

Veronica looks over her shoulder at Logan quickly as she storms up the steps to shower and change.

Parker waits a moment before she begins her angry outburst again. "So?" She challenges.

He smirks confidently, pushing his shoulders back. "So, what?"

"So, explain yourself." Parker demands.

"We're friends."

"That's it? That's all you're going to say?" She huffs.

"Veronica is my friend. She has a key because I trust her. End of story." Logan states firmly, ending their strained conversation, neglecting to answer most of his girlfriend's questions and turns away to prepare for the birthday party, leaving Parker standing in his living room, seething.

/tbc


	3. Chapter 3 of 4

**Title: Home and Heart Improvements 3/4**

**Author:** christykq

**Rating:** M for language and innuendos mostly, some sex

**Characters/Pairings:** some Logan/Parker, LoVe, ensemble

**Word Count:** 8,705 in this section; 34,118 total

**Spoilers:** This fic takes place just after 3.15 and continues AU from there.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing in the VM universe, it all belongs to the master RT and no copyright infringement is intended. Transcripts from Indigo Mantoya at twiztv dot com.

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**A/N:** This is an oneshot that is too big to post as only one document, therefore, this fic is broken into four sections. It's split for no other reason than size because I just can't write a short story, no matter how hard I try.

**A/N2:** Character's thoughts are_ italic_.

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Logan's living room, kitchen and back porch are bursting with rowdy partygoers as Veronica greets Wallace and Piz. "Hey, you finally made it."

"Your dad didn't give you the message?" Wallace asks surprised.

"I haven't talked to my dad all day. I came here right from working on a case."

Wallace nods in understanding as a very tall, slender woman walks up and hands Wallace and Piz a drink.

Veronica looks at her best friend skeptically.

"Veronica, this is Miranda Apfel. Miranda this is Veronica Mars."

"Hey."

"Hi."

Wallace grins from ear to ear as he glances over Veronica's shoulder. "Hey, um, V, is there a reason why Parker is sending a death glare this way?" He subtly points with his cup in Parker's direction.

Veronica chuckles and rolls her eyes without looking in Parker's direction. "She thinks I'm stealing her boyfriend."

"Are you?" Wallace gives his best friend a 'please explain' expression as Piz and Miranda chat amongst themselves close by.

"I needed a shower after working a case. I came here to use Logan's bathroom." She says as she sips her drink.

"And Parker is giving you a death glare because…"

"…because I was invited to Logan's house before she was?" She shrugs, raising her hands in question. "I have a key to _her boyfriend's _house and she made it very clear that Logan is off limits."

"I thought you said you and Logan were working on being friends right now."

"We are and there hasn't been any funny business. Parker feels the need to mark her territory, I guess."

Wallace chuckles. "Is she going to pee on my leg before I leave?"

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Veronica nudges Mac's shoulder as she sidles close to her best friend at the kitchen counter.

"I'll talk to you later, Mac." Parker says coldly, shooting Veronica a disgusted look and walking away from the pair.

Mac watches Parker dismiss Veronica and turns slightly toward her tiny friend.

"Nice." Veronica says under breath as she looks out over the party. "So, Max is nice, huh?"

Mac grins wide and blushes. "Yeah. He is."

Veronica smiles at her friend. "He's kind of cute, too."

Mac ignores her best friend's teasing and looks Veronica in the eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Am I okay?" Veronica is genuinely surprised by Mac's question. "I'm fine. Why?"

"Well, we're at Logan's new house where he's having a birthday party for his girlfriend and said girlfriend just gave you the cold shoulder that surpasses any cold shoulder I've ever been a recipient of." Mac clarifies. "I just thought you might be putting on your party face to get through the night."

"No, I'm good. Logan and I had a little chat the other day. We're friends, all is good."

"What's Parker's problem then?"

"She found out that I have a key to Logan's house." Veronica states quietly.

Mac eyes her friend. "Well, isn't that _friendly_." Referring to their earlier conversation about Logan and Veronica's current relationship.

"That's about as _friendly_ as I've been getting' lately." Veronica says so only Mac can hear.

"Parker does do jealous girlfriend well, doesn't she?" Mac says as they watch Parker hang on Logan's arm and laugh exaggeratedly.

"Award winning." Veronica sips her drink.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Veronica sits on the third step of Logan's stairs, eating her cake, which Parker so nicely slapped on a plate for her, and watches the partygoers enjoy the festivities.

Logan spots Veronica sitting at the bottom of his steps as he returns to the party from the bathroom. "Hey, no date tonight?" He sits next to his ex-girlfriend, blocking the stairs.

"All the good ones are taken or gay." Veronica monotones.

"I'm sure we can find you a stud tonight, before the evening is over." He chuckles, scanning the room for any decent, available guy and comes up empty.

Logan finally notices the mangled piece of cake on Veronica's plate. "Are you eating that mess? There's plenty of cake, I'm sure there's a piece that doesn't look like it's already been chewed."

Veronica laughs and looks at her cake. "Apparently, this is the best piece an ex-girlfriend of yours can hope for when your current girlfriend is dishing the cake." She gives Logan a pointed look.

"Is she really being that much of a bitch to you?" Logan sees Parker glaring at the two of them from across the room. "Of course she is. I'll go talk to her."

Veronica follows his line of sight and exhales loudly. "No, don't. It will just make things more awkward." She pauses. "I can take it."

Logan locks eyes with the love of his life and lightly rubs small circles on her back. "I know you can but you shouldn't have to. I'll talk to her."

Veronica leans into him as he kisses her forehead softly and gets up to rejoin the party. She remains in her seat and watches the party go on around her.

A few minutes later a strange looking guy with bad hair approaches Veronica. "Hey, the host said you're a big-time swing dancer."

Veronica smirks at her new friend. _Oh, Logan, you are so dead._ She glances over weird guy's shoulder and sees Logan tipping his cup in a salute to her with a big grin and walking away.

She listens to this strange guy drone on and on about swing dancing for a couple of minutes. _You better watch out, Echolls. You are not getting away with this one, you Ass._ She thinks as she stabs the crumbs of cake with her plastic fork as Piz appears in the corner of her eye. _Perfect. Piz will rescue me._

"Will you excuse me please?" She shoves her half-eaten cake toward the strange guy and practically jumps into Piz's arms, interrupting his conversation with Wallace and Miranda.

Logan is listening to Dick blab on and on about his two myspace girlfriends when he sees a streak of blonde hair fly through the room and jump into Wallace's roommate's arms. _Fuck, that's not what was supposed to happen._ He takes a big gulp of his beer and tunes back in to Dick's chatter.

He watches Veronica peripherally as Piz gets her a drink and Wallace pulls her to the side of the kitchen. Logan's breath hitches when he sees Wallace's stern face and obvious annoyance with the tiny blonde. Logan raises his drink to his mouth and watches the scene unfold over the rim of his cup.

Piz returns quickly, handing Veronica a drink as Wallace gives her a pointed look and turns back to his date. _Why the hell is Wallace so pissed at Ronnie?_

Dick draws Logan's attention back to him when he says something about big tits and a threesome.

Logan sips from his cup and glances back to the place he last saw Veronica and she is gone. He desperately searches the living area with an eagle's eye until he finally finds her on the back porch kissing Piz. His heart stops.

He gasps at the sight of his ex-girlfriend kissing the floppy-haired punk and beer goes down Logan's windpipe causing him to cough and sputter, clutching his chest and gasping for air.

"Dude, drink much?" Dick pounds his friend's back with an extra hard slap and continues on with his one-sided conversation about his two bimbos.

_Holy fuck! She just kissed Piz. Oh. My. God. She just kissed Piz. What the fuck?_

"Hey, are you okay?" Parker appears at Logan's side, snapping him out of his thoughts. She drapes her arm around his back and pats gently.

Logan shrugs her arm off his body. "I'm fine." He walks away from his girlfriend, muttering. "Give me a minute."

Parker's blood boils as her boyfriend trudges up the stairs to the more private second level. Embarrassed by his dismissal, she holds her head high, plasters a fake smile on her face and heads back to a group of friends, ready to party.

Veronica stands on Logan's back deck, motionless as Piz turns the corner of the wrap-around porch and leaves the party. _Oh. My. God. Piz just kissed me. Holy shit. What the hell was that about? Oh shit._ She scans the party for Logan. _Did Logan see Piz kiss me?_

She slowly weaves her way through the party and walks upstairs to hide for a few minutes in the guest room.

Logan pats his face dry with a towel and looks at his reflection in the master bathroom mirror. _Jesus, you don't look like you just inhaled your whole drink through your nose, you look like you've been run over by a truck._ He fingers his bloodshot eyes and pale complexion. _Get a grip Echolls, you're just friends. She can kiss anyone she wants to kiss._ _Even if he's a stupid, fuckin' puppy dog wannabe disc jockey._ He swallows loudly, throws the towel on the sink and walks out of his bathroom.

Veronica gathers her thoughts for a few moments, sitting on the edge of the guest room bed. Once she regulates her breathing back to a normal rhythm, she stands, adjusts her clothing, smoothing out all of the nonexistent wrinkles and opens the guest room door.

Logan shuts his bedroom door and turns to go downstairs when the guest room door opens and he comes face-to-face with Veronica.

"Hey." He says quietly.

"Hi." She responds, looking at her feet.

Logan steps to go around the tiny blonde as Veronica stands in his path and puts her hand on his chest to stop him.

"Wait." She whispers softly as her eyes climb to meet his. "I just wanted to let you know before you heard from someone else…"

"You don't have to explain. We're not together, Ronnie." He says as he sees the honest concern in her face.

"No, I want to." She says quickly as her eyes dance over his face, searching for some kind of understanding. "I didn't kiss Piz. Piz kissed me."

Logan looks away quickly, internally jumping for joy.

She steps closer to Logan and places her hand on his cheek, gently forcing him to look directly in her eyes again. "I'm not interested in Piz. There's only one man for me."

Logan leans into Veronica and caresses her cheek with his thumb, memorizing the contours of her face. "Does Piz know that?"

"Not yet but he will tomorrow." She moves even closer.

He bends toward his ex-girlfriend so their lips are a hair's width apart. "I want to kiss you right now."

She inhales deeply, smiles and whispers in a low, sultry voice. "You have a girlfriend." Veronica rises on her toes and places a chaste kiss on his cheek and backs away slightly, looking deep into Logan's eyes. "I'm not ready to be more than friends with you just yet and I certainly don't need to be the other woman right now."

Veronica pecks Logan on the cheek quickly and hurries down the steps.

_Great, now I need a fuckin' cold shower, Ronnie._ He slumps against the wall, looking at the ceiling, catching his breath and adjusting his hard-on in his pants.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

"Yuck. You do not want to go back in there right now." Mac instructs as she pulls the glass door shut behind her. "Dick didn't make it to the bathroom and spewed all over the carpet in the hallway."

Veronica looks over her shoulder at her friend and turns back to watching the waves crash against the sandy beach. "Ew. I bet Logan's happy about that."

Mac glances at two strangers talking near the corner of the deck and joins her friend on the step where Logan's back deck meets the beach path. "Dick emptied his stomach right at the top of the steps and no one can get to the bathroom without stepping in vomit."

"Ew. Gross. Now stop." Veronica crinkles her face in disgust.

"It smells great too." Mac couldn't help but add that final detail.

"I'm surprised more people aren't out here, taking advantage of the clean air."

"I think a lot of people cleared out at that point." Mac sips her soda.

Veronica nods in understanding. "I think I'm gonna head out soon too."

"You're not staying here tonight?" Mac raises an eyebrow, taunting her best friend with a small nudge.

"No. Not tonight. I don't need to be the source of everything wrong in Parker's world, thanks."

After a few minutes of silence, Veronica speaks softly. "Piz kissed me tonight."

Mac's head whips around quickly to face her best friend. "What? Piz kissed you? Is he insane?"

"Apparently." Veronica chuckles. "Wallace said he's liked me for a long time and I need to let him down easy and the next thing I know Piz's lips were on mine."

"Did you give him a reason to think you were interested?"

"No not really. I used him to play my boyfriend when Logan told this weird guy I loved swing dancing. You know, to get rid of Lord of the Dance…" She looks at the computer genius closely. "…but I was clear it was an act."

"Did Logan see Piz kiss you?" Mac asks timidly.

"Yeah. I think he did. I cornered him to tell him before anyone else got to him with the gossip."

"And?" Mac studies Veronica's confused expression.

"And he didn't want an explanation since we're not together, but I gave him one anyway and he wanted to kiss me but I stopped it before anything happened." Veronica locks eyes with Mac. "I don't want to be _that_ girl."

Mac nods. "The girl that steals your boyfriend."

"A slut."

"The girl you were accused of being all through high school." Mac says compassionately.

"Yeah." Veronica responds in a whisper as she bows her head remorsefully.

Mac uncharacteristically wraps her arm around Veronica shoulders and squeezes her in close to her body. "You and Logan will get your acts together soon. He wants to be with you, Bond. Everyone can see it. That's why Parker is so jealous. She wants what you have with Logan and deep down she knows it's never going to happen."

"Hey." Wallace pops his head out the door, unaware of the girl talk occurring on Logan's back porch. Mac quickly drops her arm from Veronica's shoulder and Veronica rapidly wipes a tear from her cheek as Wallace continues. "Miranda and I are heading out. You guys seen Piz lately?"

Veronica and Mac share a quick glance.

"He left a while ago." Veronica says over her shoulder.

"Okay." Wallace ponders his options in his slightly tipsy haze. "Um, could one of you give us a ride then?"

Veronica and Mac laugh at their friend as they rise from their seat on the step and follow Wallace into the house.

The house is empty except for a handful of lingering partygoers. The trio of friends watch as Logan and Chip Diller lumber down the steps with a rolled carpet on their shoulders, carrying it out the front door and unceremoniously throwing it in Logan's front yard.

Logan wipes the dirt from his hands and reenters the living room with Chip on his heels. "I was going to rip that carpet up anyway." He laughs, looking around at the few remaining party guests. "Now is as good a time as any."

Parker's friend, from the dorms, and her boyfriend take that time to thank Logan and exit the party at the same time Chip makes himself comfortable on the sofa.

"Well, that was fun." Logan glances around the room at his friends' bored expressions. "Who wants a drink?" He slaps his hands together dramatically and walks to the kitchen countertop bar, setting out a few glasses, waiting his friends' response.

"I'll have one." Chip yells from the sofa.

"You can pour one for me." Parker chirps from her spot talking to Miranda near the fireplace.

"None for me. I'm leaving." Veronica says holding up her hand in a stop gesture.

Logan's eyes rise to look at his ex-girlfriend as he's pouring his friends' drinks. "Too bad, Ronnie, 'cause it seems your bed is occupied by Dick right now." He wiggles his eyebrows at her obnoxiously.

"Damn, I-…" Veronica is cut off by Parker's loud bark.

"WHAT did you just say?" Parker stomps over to the kitchen island glaring at her boyfriend.

Logan continues to mix drinks and casually looks up at the tall blonde currently ready to rip his head off. "Huh?"

"Did you say 'her bed'? Parker spits and points at Veronica.

Logan casually sets the bottle of alcohol on the counter, wondering what set Parker off. "Yeah." He shrugs nonchalantly.

"_She_ has a bed here? In _your_ house?" She yells.

"Yeah, the guest room bed. Ronnie stays here sometimes. We're friends, Parker." Logan defends calmly.

"First I find out she's been here helping you fix up your house and now I find out she's been sleeping here too! What the hell is this, Logan? What else are you keeping from me?" Parker holds her hands out with her palms in the up, questioning her boyfriend's actions. "Are you sleeping with her too? Are you fucking her? She's your cheap piece of ass on the side until I give it up?"

"NO! We're friends!" Logan yells, emphasizing each syllable.

Parker ignores Logan's response and turns on her heel, stomping a few steps to the end of the island, seething. She points at Veronica with every angry word. "You. Little. Slut. You've been weaseling your way back into his bed this entire time! Haven't you?"

"What? No!" Veronica snaps. "It's not lik-…"

"You're trying to steal _my boyfriend_. Well, Veronica, he's _mine_! You gave him up and now he's mine!"

"Logan doesn't cheat, Parker! And if you knew Logan at all you would fuckin' know that! God damn it!" Veronica yells, pushing her shoulders back and pointing back at Parker. "Logan and I were together for a long time before you started lurking around, so technically, _Parker_, he was mine first and you're just a sloppy second!"

"I didn't know I was a possession." Logan says calmly with a bite to his words.

The rest of the people in the room remain quiet, watching the fireworks at the kitchen counter.

"Face it, Veronica, once a slut…" Parker gets right in Veronica's face. "…always a-…"

"DON'T! Fuckin'! Finish! That! Sentence!" Logan roars threateningly through clenched teeth.

Parker turns to Logan. "She's your ex-girlfriend and you keep defending her! _You_ should be defending _me_! _I'm_ your girlfriend, Logan! Or have you forgotten that?"

"Not anymore! We're done, Parker! Finished! Don't come into my house and start accusing me of sleeping around and calling Veronica names! She has been nothing but nice to you and you turn all jealous bitch on her! Veronica is NOT a slut and never has been! The only thing she's guilty of is being my friend and yours! Now, get the fuck out of my house Parker!"

Parker's jaw drops open when she hears Logan's words. "You're breaking up with me? Just like that?" She mutters weakly.

"Are you deaf _and_ stupid?" He barks.

Parker bites her lip, blinking back tears as she looks around the silent room. The few remaining partiers avoid her glance at all costs as she slowly walks out of Logan's house, defeated.

Logan picks up a scotch and soda on the counter and chugs it down in one gulp, slamming the empty glass back on the counter. "Fuck." He mutters under his breath as he slumps against the counter with hunched shoulders and head down, leaning on one extended arm.

"I'll have my drink now." Chip yells from his seat on the sofa, breaking the deafening quiet in the room.

Everyone laughs, happy to lift the mood of the party.

"Get off your ass and come and get it." Logan laughs as he pours another drink and pushes three filled glasses toward Mac, Wallace and Veronica, without lifting his eyes from the countertop.

"I guess we're staying here tonight." Wallace whispers to Mac and she nods in response.

Veronica pushes her filled glass back to Logan. He looks at the rejected glass of Southern Comfort on the rocks and looks up at her face only when she takes the bottle of alcohol from his hand and drinks right from the bottle, never tearing her eyes away from his face.

She sets the bottle on the table and slides it closer to Logan. "I needed that." She winks at the party host and newly single homeowner and takes her filled glass. "Let's get this party started." She proclaims loudly receiving a "damn straight" and a "fuck yeah" from the group.

Logan laughs as his friends move to the sofa and start up the Xbox, continuing Parker's birthday party without her.

"I play winner." He announces, joining his friends in front of his large television.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

"God damn mother fucker!" Dick mumbles as he slides onto a stool at the kitchen counter, clutching his head with both hands. "What the hell happened last night?"

Mac, Wallace, Chip, Veronica, Miranda, and Logan exchange apprehensive glances over their breakfasts and coffees.

"You puked on the carpet and no one could get to the bathroom."

"Chip kissed Mac."

"Parker accused Veronica of being a slut and Logan cheating on her."

"Wallace ran around the house buck naked."

"The pukey carpet was ripped up."

"Piz kissed Veronica."

"Logan kicked Parker out of her own party."

"Logan broke up with Parker in a screaming fight."

"Mac was named Champion of the Xbox."

"Miranda flashed Wallace"

Dick's brow furrows with confusion, lifting his head slowly, looking at Logan standing on the other side of the counter, barely able to focus his eyes or his thoughts and grunts. "Huh?"

Everyone laughs as Logan explains. "You puked on the carpet and we ripped the carpet out instead of cleaning it. The rug is out on the front lawn, by the way, I'll let you get rid of it since you hurled all over it."

He takes a bite of cereal and continues. "Piz kissed Veronica and no one really knows why." Logan winks at the tiny blonde.

"Hey, hey, hey. I'm sure he had a good reason. I am very kissable." She narrows her eyes playfully at Logan.

"Tell me about it." Logan says into his cereal bowl at the same time Veronica continues explaining the happenings of the previous evening.

"Parker was being jealous girlfriend, throwing accusations around and Logan broke up with her…"

"…in a screaming fight then kicked her out of his house in the middle of her birthday party." Mac takes over. "We played a very long game of I Never and I beat everyone at every drunken game we played on the Xbox until we all passed out."

"Damn, it's always the good parties that I miss." Dick mumbles as Mac slides a hot cup of coffee under his nose.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Veronica turns the key and opens Logan's front door. "Hi Honey, I'm home." She chuckles. _That joke never gets old._

"Hi Honey." Logan says quietly and Veronica jumps out of her skin.

"Jesus, you scared me." She grasps at her chest.

Logan laughs, lying on his sofa, cuddled under a blanket with the lights and television turned off. "Doing a little B&E, V?"

"Gee…" She jingles her keys in her fingertips. "…see a key, no B&E." She sits on the end of the sofa, kicking off her shoes and wiggling under the blanket at Logan's feet. "Did I wake you up?"

"No, I heard you pull in the driveway." Logan says softly as Veronica settles further under Logan's blanket, worming her feet under her ex-boyfriend's chest.

"I think I left my Psych book here last night when I stayed over. Have you seen it?"

"I haven't but I haven't been in your room since Parker's party last week. It's probably in there." Logan says rubbing Veronica's legs tenderly.

"I've been thinking about you." Veronica mumbles softly.

"You have?" Logan chirps playfully in a high-pitched voice, making the tiny blonde very uncomfortable until he tickles her feet and smiles warmly.

Veronica lowers her eyes, playing with the edge of the blanket and bites her lip before she begins speaking softly. "I can't get you out of my mind. You are embedded in my brain and my heart."

Logan's heart races with her words as she raises her eyes to his face. _Oh God. You shouldn't have done that, Veronica. _She sighs and continues. "We've become very good friends and I appreciate everything you've ever done for me. I never appreciated you in the past and I am so sorry for taking you for granted."

He smiles and winks at his ex-girlfriend, remaining silent.

"I need you in my life, Logan. We may fight furiously and say horrible, hurtful things to each other but when we're good, we are so very good together." She smiles and Logan responds with an eyebrow waggle and a smirk.

"We are, oh, so _very good_ together, aren't we?" Logan says in a low bedroom voice, making Veronica blush.

She fights to hold in a smile at the thought of their incredibly hot sex life.

Logan watches Veronica's face flush and he chuckles, continuing in his soft voice. "Miss Mars, you're blushing."

She swats his leg and smiles. _Back on topic, Veronica, back on topic_. "You're trying to distract me, now hush."

"What were you thinking about, Ronnie?" He teases. "Were you thinking about my tongue touching your-…"

"Logan!" She reprimands and blushes further.

"You are!" Logan smiles with glee, incredulously. "You're thinking about sex with me, _oral_ sex with me."

"Well, it's kind of hard not to when you're talking about what you're tongue can do." Veronica smacks his legs again, embarrassed by the feelings he can stir up with a few select words. _You're evil, Logan._

"I haven't even gotten to my other talents yet." He wiggles his eyebrows again as she playfully glares across the sofa. "Alright, I'll stop reminding you how incredibly hot our sex life is and let you get back to what you were saying."

She swallows loudly and sighs, preparing herself to continue. "I've finally come to terms with you're drunken night with that skank." Veronica wrinkles her nose with disgust. "And I know you didn't do that to hurt me. We weren't together, so I have no right to bitch and moan about it."

"Thank you." He says softly.

"I'm ready to move on and put our baggage behind us."

Logan's heart skips a beat and he takes a deep breath with anticipation.

"Logan, I think I'm ready to start dating you again." Their eyes lock. "You make me absolutely insane but I want to try to date again and take things slooow this time." She pauses. "I'm not going to jump into bed with you. You're going to have to work to be with me, woo me a bit." She raises her eyebrows in a challenge. "Are you interested?"

He nods affirmative slowly, never breaking eye contact with the tiny blonde cuddled under the blanket with him, on his sofa.

"Logan?"

"Yes?"

"Would you like to go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?" She asks shyly.

"Miss Mars, are you asking me out on a date?" He grins a big, broad, happy smile.

"Yes, I am. Let me recap for you since you're having trouble keeping up. I told you I was ready to get back together with you, if we take it slow and you agreed. Now, I just asked you out on our first date and I'm awaiting an answer, Echolls. This offer is only open for a limited time, you know." She gives Logan a pointed look and he chuckles at her irritation. If she were standing up, she would have tapped her foot impatiently.

He pretends to think about her offer. "Are you paying for said first date?" He teases.

Veronica exhales loudly. "Yes. I asked you out, I'll pay for the date."

Logan can't resist tormenting the tiny investigator further. "Will you pick me up at my door?"

She clenches her teeth and purses her lips. "Yes. If I must."

"Will I have to put out at the end of the night?"

She rolls her eyes and goes with the ribbing. "Any respectable girl…" Veronica fake coughs. "…I mean, guy would wait at least three dates before jumping into bed with their date."

Logan ponders her offer. "Dinner will definitely be included on this date?"

"Limited time offer, Echolls, you better make your decision quickly or time is going to run out."

"Hey, now, don't rush me. I need to know all of the details of this date before I can accept or decline. Will dinner be consumed on this date?"

"Yes." She whines. "Come on, stop stallin'. Do you want to go out with me tomorrow night or not?"

Logan's smile fills his face and he speaks softly. "I would love to, Veronica."

She exhales a small breath with relief. "Good. I'll pick you up at seven."

He nods in agreement.

"I'm not kidding around, Logan. I want to take this slow. I don't want to be _just_ friends with you but it's going to take some time."

"Fine."

"Well, as fun as snuggling under this blanket with you is, I need to find my psych book and study." Veronica begins to climb out from under the covering when Logan grabs her legs tightly.

Once he has her attention, Logan smirks and speaks quietly with a great deal of hope in his voice. "Come back and study under the blanket with me?"

"If you keep your hands to yourself." Veronica matches his tone.

"I can refrain, if you can." He waggles his eyebrows seductively.

"You've got yourself a deal, Echolls." She races up to the steps to search for her book.

"Hurry back." Logan calls after her and smiles. _Veronica Mars never seizes to amaze me, but _this_ time we're going to move at a snail's pace._ He grunts. _I can see a few hundred cold showers in my future. Wonderful. _

Veronica returns with her missing book in her hand as she turns on the lamp near Logan's end of the couch. "Success!"

Logan lifts the blanket off of himself, inviting her to join him. He adjusts his position and Veronica climbs under the blanket, leaning against her boyfriend's chest and begins to study as Logan reads over her shoulder and inhales the smell of her shampoo. _Jesus, she smells good. Moving at a snail's pace is going to be more difficult than I thought._

_Damn, this might have been a bad idea. _Veronica sighs_. His body feels so good next to mine and his arms, oh God, his fuckin' arms are wrapped around me. Jesus, I. Am. In. Trouble._

After twenty minutes of reading mundane psychology mumbo jumbo over Veronica's shoulder, Logan rests his head against the back of the sofa and falls asleep with the love of his life in his arms.

Three hours of studying under her belt, Veronica hears Logan's deep, rhythmic breathing and closes her book, settling against his body and falls asleep in her boyfriend's arms.

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"Dad, I think I'm staying at Logan's tonight." Veronica darts into the living room in a black lace cocktail dress with high heels hanging from her fingers, throwing her phone and a lip gloss into a small black clutch purse.

Keith turns around from stirring his dinner on the stove and looks his daughter up and down, giving her a good-natured whistle of appreciation. "Nice dress, Honey. Who's the lucky guy?" He teases knowing she's been nervously preparing for her first date with Logan for the past few hours.

She glares at her dad, sits on the edge of the over-stuffed chair slipping her shoes on and ignores his question.

"Or girl?" He jokes. "It is the twenty-first century, after all." He chuckles to himself and returns to stirring his dinner.

Veronica exhales a long sigh. "Dad, you know Logan and I are starting to date again and this time we're taking it very slow. We're trying to go about this as adults and leave all of our baggage in the past where it belongs."

"That's good, Honey. You two are miserable when you're not together." Keith turns to face his daughter as she strides to the edge of the kitchen island.

"We've been spending a lot time together." She pauses. "I've been staying at his house…"

Keith opens his mouth to voice his opinions only to be silenced with Veronica's hand in a 'stop' gesture.

"…in the guest room, a few nights a week."

"I'm aware of that and I really hope that you are being honest with me, with yourself and with Logan when you're playing house." Keith gives Veronica a pointed look.

She huffs with frustration. "Logan and I are not _playing house_, as you say. We're getting used to being friends and, now, being a couple."

"Veronica, I'm not stupid. I know you and Logan have been intimate and I know you love Logan and he loves you. I just don't want you to think that your problems with Logan are going to be gone once you move in with him."

"Dad, the only time I feel whole is when I'm with Logan. He completes me and loves me and protects me as well, if not better than you do."

"Hey." Keith complains. "No. One. Will ever love you as much as I do, Veronica."

"You're right. No one will ever love me as much as you do. As much as a father loves a daughter, but Logan loves me because…" She pauses and thinks for a moment. "…well, I'm not really sure why he loves me but I know he does."

"It must be your charming personality, Honey." Keith emphasizes his point with a big, cheesy smile and Veronica can't help but to laugh at her father.

"Whatever reasons why he loves me, I know he loves me and I love him."

Keith grins all-knowingly at his daughter as she realizes the words she just declared.

_Did I just declare my love for Logan in front of my dad? Oh my God. I just told my dad I love Logan._ Veronica starts to hyperventilate.

Keith laughs at his daughter's anxiety. "Honey, calm down. It's not the end of the world to say that you love someone." He returns to his dinner on the stove. "In fact, it's usually a liberating experience to tell someone that you love them if they love you in return."

He stirs the meal in the pan as Veronica tries to catch her breath and gather her thoughts.

"Veronica…" Keith says over his shoulder toward his panicking daughter. "…I'm not giving you permission to have sleepovers at your boyfriend's house but I know that won't stop you from doing what you want to do. I just hope you use protection."

"Oh my gosh, Dad." Veronica whines as she notices the time on the stove. "Is that the freakin' time?" She screeches, grabbing her clutch and rushing out the door, yelling over her shoulder. "Don't wait up."

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Logan checks his appearance in the mirror for the fifteenth time in about three minutes and paces his bedroom anxiously. _Oh shit, I hope everything is okay, she's not stuck in a ditch somewhere or… _He stops in his place for a moment. _…fuck, she better not stand me up. Oh my God, if she stands me up, there is no telling what I would do to that cute little body of hers. _He thinks about the list of naughty things he could do to Veronica's body and shakes his head clear of the images._ No, no, no. Logan, get a freakin' grip. You're going on a date and she's just a little late. You are not going to fuck Veronica tonight! _He exhales and runs his fingers through his hair, grabs his suit jacket from the bed and goes downstairs to wait for his date to arrive.

Veronica rubs her tongue nervously over her front teeth and fluffs her hair with her fingers as she waits for Logan to answer his door. _Here goes nothing. _

Logan strides to the door, pausing to adjust his tie and opens the door wide. "Hi, come on in." He says calmly but internally is a bumbling, stuttering nervous wreck. He motions for Veronica to enter his home as his eyes roll over her body, cataloging her outfit to memory. _Jesus, does she have to look so fuckin' hot?_

Her eyes catch on his brilliant blue and yellow striped tie and Veronica feels her heart race in her chest. _Shit, maybe I need to rethink this going slow plan._ She thinks as she passes Logan and enters his cottage. "Sorry I'm late. I was running slightly behind schedule when I fell into a heated conversation with my dad then I got in my car and realized the car was on 'E' and I had to fill up the tank." Veronica explains as quickly as the words could fly out of her mouth.

"So, that's what I smell." Logan teases as he closes the door behind his girlfriend.

Veronica gets a panicked look on her face as she sniffs her hands frantically. "Oh no, I tried-…"

Logan steps to the tiny blonde and takes her hands in his, looking straight into her eyes.

Her breathing calms as soon as Logan's hands surround her own and she meets his stare.

"I was kidding, Ronnie. You smell fabulous and you look incredible."

She exhales loudly and rubs circles on the back of his hands with her thumbs. "Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself." Veronica's fingers walk up Logan's broad tie as she steps slightly closer and looks up into his eyes. "Are you ready to go, I'm hungry." She whispers in a sultry voice that makes Logan instantly hard.

It's Logan's turn to exhale loudly as he pecks Veronica on the forehead and moves away from her encroaching figure. "Starved. Let's go."

He snatches his suit coat from the chair and puts it on as they walk to the door, on their way to their first date.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

"Well, I guess this is good night." Logan says with a grin as he pulls Veronica closer to him and looks deep into her blue eyes.

"Cliché much?" She giggles and nuzzles against his chest in the glow of the partially burnt-out front porch light.

Their first date could not have gone any smoother. They had a fabulous dinner, a bottle of wine and multiple exquisite desserts at a new trendy, upscale French restaurant on the edge of town then strolled through the refurbished downtown area of Neptune, window shopping late into the night.

"Thank you for dinner." Logan whispers as he pushes a lock of hair behind Veronica's ear.

Her fingertips graze over his tie as his strong arms close tightly around her body. She looks up and their eyes lock as she rises on her toes and presses her lips to his.

He deepens the kiss, expressing his desire and need for her with every movement, but allows Veronica to set the pace.

They break apart and catch their breaths as Logan speaks softly. "You wanna come in?" He playfully wiggles his eyebrows and teases the woman in his arms. "Have a drink? Get naked… and go down on me?"

He grins and ducks her hand as she chuckles and swats his arm with force.

"Logan! We were having a moment there." She smiles as he pulls her flush against his body again.

"I know. I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself."

"Don't think this, in any way, reflects your smooth moves or your way with words, because it doesn't, but I think I'm gonna stay here tonight, if you don't mind?" She tilts her head and caresses his chest with her fingers.

"Ronnie, I told you before, you can stay here whenever you want." He kisses the tip of her nose. "Why don't you move in with me, in the guest room?"

She smiles thinking back to her conversation with her dad earlier in the evening. "I was just talking to my dad about staying over at your house." Veronica can feel Logan's body tense under her fingertips. "That's why I was late getting here tonight. My dad and I got on the subject of me sleeping here more often than I sleep in my own bed and he told me he is not giving me permission to, and I quote, play house with my boyfriend."

"Play house with your boyfriend, huh?" Logan laughs. "I feel a but…"

She smiles warmly. "But…" Veronica emphasizes the word dramatically. "…he knows that I'm going to do what I want anyway."

"Does that mean you'll move in with me?" Logan asks excitedly in a soft voice.

"Well, I don't know if I would call it _moving in_ but I may just _happen_ to _forget_ most of my clothes here, at your house, in the guest room dresser." Veronica smirks and kisses Logan's lips lightly.

Logan can't help but beam with the thought of Veronica living with him in his house, even if she is going to sleep in the guest room. _All in due time, Dude, be patient and you will be rewarded. _He smiles and takes her hand, leading her into the cottage.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

"Logan?" Veronica taps softly on the master bedroom door and watches the door glide open, revealing Logan lying in his bed, partially covered by a sheet with a pillow held tightly over his head to block out the morning sun.

"Five more minutes, Mom." He groans, muffled from under the pillow.

She laughs as her eyes examine his bare abs and exposed chest and she leans against the doorframe, committing every ripple of his toned, tan, naked upper body to memory.

Logan's sleepy voice pulls Veronica from her naughty thoughts. "I don't have class until eleven."

_I'm probably going to regret this, but what the hell, life is short, right?_ She tiptoes to the bed, lifting one knee on the edge and crawls in Logan's bed next to him.

He feels the mattress dip with her weight and peeks out from under the pillow. Logan watches his girlfriend innocently walk on hands and knees, up his bed, fully clothed and lie next to him. He smells her shampoo and every bit of rational thought escapes his brain.

"Hi." She whispers as she cuddles into this body, on top of the covers and peeks under the pillow clenched to his head, coming face-to-face with her sleepy boyfriend.

"You have too many clothes on." He whispers.

"I'm not here for a booty call. I just wanted to let you know I was leaving to help Piz out on the case of the missing back-up tapes…"

Logan pushes the pillow off his head and props it under his neck, looking deep into Veronica's eyes. He wraps his arm around Veronica's waist and pulls her body against his with the covers and her clothing separating them.

"…then I have class and I have to work at the library tonight. So, I won't see you until late tonight."

He moans and kisses her forehead. "Will you sneak into my room for a booty call when you get home, tonight?"

"Maybe." She grins, rubbing his back with her fingertips tenderly, peppering kisses on his chest and neck.

His fingers travel up her back and twist in her hair as he forces his brain to think of _anything_ other than Veronica nipping and sucking his skin. He moans encouragement when her mouth covers his nipple and his hard-on jumps in response.

Logan falls onto his back as Veronica's lips and tongue suck and nibble.

She continues her ministrations to a chorus of Logan's moans and before she realizes, she is straddling Logan's body kissing his torso, on her way to the area hiding under the sheet, just below his waist while his fingers tangle in her hair.

Veronica looks up at Logan's face through her eyelashes.

Logan almost cums right then as he inhales a long breath to calm himself and breathes. "Ronnie-…"

His words are cut off when Veronica's cell phone rings loudly from her pocket.

"I'm sorry." She whispers against his skin and he pushes his head back, into the pillows, muttering swear words under his breath.

Veronica sits up and digs her phone out of her pocket, giving Logan a sympathetic frown. "Hello." She says through clenched teeth as she runs her fingers through her messy hair and moves to the edge of the bed, facing away from Logan. "This better be good."

"Oh… um… sorry, Veronica. I just wanted to know… um… if you were on your way 'cause… um… you said to meet you at… um… eight." Piz stutters frantically. He chuckles a nervous laugh and raises his voice with faux happiness. "It's eight o'clock."

Veronica sighs loudly and glimpses over her shoulder at a very frustrated Logan. "Yeah, Piz. I'm on my way. I'm running late. I won't be there for at least another half hour or forty-five minutes." She can feel Logan's tension disappear and she smiles into her phone. "I'll see you there in a bit. Bye." She snaps her phone shut and throws it on the bedside table.

Before she can turn toward her boyfriend, Logan grabs her hand and pulls her on top of him again. "Come here you little heartbreaker."

"Heartbreaker?" She furrows her brow in question as she nuzzles into his side.

"Piz likes you and you just broke his heart."

"I did not." Veronica's fingers tickle the soft hair around Logan's navel.

"You would if he knew what you were doing instead of meeting him at eight, like you planned." He giggles and kisses the top of her head.

She begins kissing Logan's torso again. "I don't…" Kiss. "Know what…" Kiss. "You're talking about." Veronica moves the sheet over Logan's ragging erection as her lips touch the soft skin just above his pubic hair and Logan's hands grip the sheets at his sides with force.

"Oh God, Ronnie." He breathes. "You're going to kill me." As he pushes his hips up toward her face when he feels her warm breath on his cock.

She responds by taking his rock hard dick deep into her mouth.

"Fuck, Veronica. That feels fuckin' awesome." Logan moans.

She rises up, releasing his hard-on from her mouth and twists her tongue around the sensitive head, licking the pre-cum from the tip.

Veronica looks up at Logan through her eyelashes, locking eyes with him as she dips down and consumes his penis in her mouth again.

She bobs up and down rhythmically, repeatedly for several minutes, only stopping to lick up the length of his swollen member and resumes the continuous tempo, massaging his balls the entire time.

Logan's fingers pull her hair lightly. "Babe, I'm gonna cum."

Veronica continues her routine, silently acknowledging his words with a small grin.

"I'm gonna cum… Ronnie…" He moans and thrusts his hips upward. "Like… Now!" Logan grunts and throws his head against the pillows as his shaft pulses and squirts his warm liquid over her tongue and down her throat.

"Oh fuck." He moans as every muscle tenses and each nerve explodes, throwing his arm over his eyes and gently tangles his fingers in Veronica's hair while she licks his penis clean.

Veronica wipes her mouth on the sheet and climbs up next to Logan, cuddling in the nook of his arm, tickling his chest with her fingertips.

"Can I request that wake-up call every morning?" Logan whispers and kisses her hair.

"I started this, I didn't want to leave you with blue balls." She smiles warmly, looking up at his face.

He kisses the tip of her nose and moves the hair from her forehead. "I appreciate that. My nuts thank you."

She giggles against his chest and they lay quietly in each other's arms for a few minutes, basking in the warmth of their embrace.

This had been the most intimate act Veronica and Logan have shared since they got back together two weeks ago and they were taking the time to enjoy it.

"I hate to break this up but I really have to hustle if I'm going to meet up with Piz." Veronica kisses his cheek quickly and rolls out of Logan's bed. "I'll see you late tonight."

"Bye." Logan calls from his reclined position in his king-sized bed. "Be careful, Veronica. I love you."

She stops in the hallway when Logan declares his love and contemplates going back into his room and telling him she loves him too. _No, if I tell him I love him now, I'll never his bedroom and I have a million things I need to get done today._ She clears her throat and yells back toward his room. "I'll see you later tonight. Bye." She runs down the steps and out the front door.

Logan hears the front door shut and rolls over to squeeze another hour or two of sleep in before he has to get up for his eleven o'clock class. _Jesus, I forgot how good Ronnie is at giving head._ He smiles into his pillow. _That's the way every morning should fuckin' start._

/tbc


	4. Chapter 4 of 4

**Title: Home and Heart Improvements 4/4**

**Author:** christykq

**Rating:** M for language and innuendos mostly, some sex

**Characters/Pairings:** some Logan/Parker, LoVe, ensemble

**Word Count:** 9,120 in this section; 34,118 total

**Spoilers:** This fic takes place just after 3.15 and continues AU from there.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing in the VM universe, it all belongs to the master RT and no copyright infringement is intended. Transcripts from Indigo Mantoya at twiztv dot com.

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**A/N:** This is an oneshot that is too big to post as only one document, therefore, this fic is broken into four sections. It's split for no other reason than size because I just can't write a short story, no matter how hard I try.

**A/N2:** Character's thoughts are_ italic_.

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"Supafly, I haven't seen you around much lately." Wallace states as he steps in stride with Mac and Veronica as they walk to the their next class on Hearst campus.

"I've been busy." Veronica defends.

"More like getting' busy." Mac teases.

"Wrong." Veronica scoffs. "Logan and I taking things slow-ow-ow."

"Uh huh." Wallace gives the tiny blonde a pointed look.

"No, really. We're moving at a snail's pace this time around. We don't want to screw things up. Our problems have never been in bed." Veronica says staring into the distance, across the quad as a big grin grows on her face.

"Come on, Girl, TMI." Wallace scowls then notices her smile and follows Veronica's line of sight.

Logan and Dick are laughing and goofing around as they walk toward the trio of friends from the other side of the large open area.

"Oh geez." Wallace mutters under his breath at his lovesick best friend's reaction to seeing her boyfriend from afar.

"Logan looks awfully happy and relaxed for moving at a snail's pace." Mac comments with a raised eyebrow.

"We're moving slow, we're not dead." Veronica clarifies as she watches Logan and Dick approach, unaware of Veronica, Mac and Wallace walking in their direction.

When the two '09ers are within ten feet of Veronica, Logan's face breaks into a huge smile and unconsciously hops with each step as he locks eyes with his girlfriend. He pushes past the people in his path to the tiny blonde investigator, leaving Dick behind, and rushes to Veronica, placing his palms on her cheeks and planting a hot, deep, slow kiss on her mouth.

Wallace rolls his eyes at the kissing couple and Mac looks anywhere but at Logan and Veronica as they continue to play tonsil hockey.

"Dude, get a fuckin' room." Dick says as he dodges passing students and joins the group.

Logan finally separates his mouth from Veronica's, kissing her lightly on the tip of her nose and swaggers away. "I'll see you tonight at home." He says over his shoulder and wipes her lip gloss from his mouth with the back of his hand as he continues to his destination, leaving Veronica breathless and stunned in her spot.

"Jesus, Dude. Wait up." Dick hurries after his friend down the sidewalk.

Mac turns to Veronica with curious eyes. "Did he just say 'see you tonight at home'?"

"Uh huh." Veronica grunts as she tries to regulate her breathing.

"He said 'at home' not like _my_ home or _your_ home but _our home_." Mac swats Veronica's arm. "Snap out of it. Did you move in with Logan?"

"Ow. Why did you hit me?"

"Answer the question, V." Wallace says protectively with a stern voice.

She nods yes and they begin walking toward their next classes again.

"Holy crap, Veronica. What did your dad say?" Wallace quizzes.

"He officially did not give me permission to have sleepovers at my boyfriend's house but he knows I'm going to do what I want to do anyway." Veronica shrugs, matter-of-factly. "So, I forgot a bunch of my stuff and some clothes in his guest room, by accident, of course."

"Of course." Wallace and Mac say in unison.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Veronica tiptoes up the steps of Logan's house notices Logan's bedroom door open about an inch. _Hmm, is that an invitation? Or should I just sleep in my room? I am exhausted and I could use some sleep._ She turns into the guest room, throws her messenger bag on the floor, kicking off her shoes and changes into a tank top and pajama pants.

Logan hears the steps creaking as Veronica comes upstairs and goes into her room. _Damn it, she's not coming in here. _He swats the mattress with his hand and sighs. _Well, this is what she wanted, to go slow. I'll let her set the pace and when she's ready, she knows where my bed is._

_Fuck. Should I go into Logan's room or not? _Veronica sits on the edge of her bed and weighs her options._ Damn it, I'm so tired. Why is this such a big deal? You're being stupid, Veronica, just suck it up and climb into bed with him. But, I need to sleep. I have an early class tomorrow._ She sighs. _Fuck it!_ Slapping her thigh with resolve, she creeps to Logan's door.

Logan watches his bedroom door when he hears footsteps in the hallway.

Veronica takes a deep breath and pushes Logan's bedroom door open, peeking into his dark room. "Are you awake?" She whispers.

"Yeah." He responds, matching her soft tone. _Grow a spine, Dude, ask her to sleep with you tonight._

"I… I um… just…" She struggles to decide as she looks back toward her room and bites her lower lip. "…I'm really exhausted." She complains.

"Oh. Okay." Logan mutters and Veronica can hear the disappointment in his voice.

She looks over her shoulder at her room one more time and steps over the threshold of Logan's room. "Is there room in your big bed for little ole me?"

He flips the covers up dramatically. "Of course." He whispers as Veronica crosses his room and climbs into bed, snuggling against Logan's warm, firm body.

Logan tucks her small frame in close to his chest and kisses her hair, close to her ear. "Good night, Sugarpuss." _I love you._ He thinks as he shuts his eyes.

"Logan?" Veronica says softly and he grunts in response. "Thank you."

He opens his eyes and whispers. "For what?"

"For letting me set the pace. You have no idea how comforting it is to know that there's no pressure to go right back where we were before and I love you for it." Veronica gasps as the words slip from her mouth and she can feel Logan's hold around her body tighten.

He doesn't respond for a few seconds as he replays her words over and over in his head.

Logan adjusts their bodies and rolls Veronica onto her back and looks directly into her eyes. "What did you say?" He mutters softly.

Veronica smiles and touches his face with her fingertips, looking deep into Logan's soul. "I love you." She pauses. "I've loved you for a long time now. I was just scared and stupid. I'm sorry I never said it before now."

His grin grows as he runs his thumb gently down her cheek. "Say it again."

"I love you, Logan." She states matter-of-factly and stretches her head off the mattress to kiss her boyfriend.

His hand slips behind her neck to support her head as he deepens the kiss, expressing his desire and love for her but masterfully allowing Veronica to maintain control of the tempo of their lip lock.

Her fingers tickle his sides just above his boxers' waistband as his fingers graze the side of her breast, over her shirt.

Veronica pushes Logan's body weight back away from her as they break their kiss and lay on their sides, facing each other.

Logan can't stop smiling at his girlfriend as her fingers dance over the muscles of his chest.

"You've made me the happiest man in the history of the world, Bobcat." He whispers as his fingers play with the ends of her hair.

Her eyes slowly rise to meet Logan's. "I can't believe how good it feels to tell you that I love you."

"Say it again." He smirks.

"I love you." She smiles and places a chaste kiss on his lips. "But I have to get some sleep. I'm exhausted and I have an early class tomorrow morning."

"Shh. You don't have to explain. I know you're tired." Logan kisses the middle of her forehead. "Go to sleep. The alarm is set for seven."

Veronica's eyes flutter closed as she sighs and wiggles into Logan's arms. "Perfect."

"Perfect." He repeats, shutting his eyes and tightening his hold around Veronica's body, falling asleep with a smile on his face.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

A few days after declaring her love for Logan, Veronica drags her tired and hungry body into Logan's house, dropping her messenger bag on the floor at the door.

Logan looks up from typing on his computer. "Hey, Babe. Did you eat?"

She lumbers over to the brand new dining room table and chairs and slides onto Logan's lap. "Hi." Veronica plants a steamy kiss on his mouth while her fingers run through his hair.

She moans as Logan's tongue circles hers and his hand rests on her cheek, subtly directing her movements as his other hand wiggles under the seam of her t-shirt. _Jesus, her skin is so fuckin' soft. _

They end their kiss and stare into each other's eyes. Veronica leans her forehead against Logan's and silently tells him she's ready. He wordlessly raises his eyebrows in question and she answers by shimmying off his lap and pulling his hand turning towards the steps. "Come on, there's a bubble bath in our future."

"You know, there's a two-man Jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom." Logan snarks.

"You don't say." She chuckles, towing Logan behind her as she climbs the stairs. "Well, it's a good thing we're heading to the master suite then."

When they reach the top of the steps, Logan wraps his arms around her petite frame from behind and whispers in her ear. "Are you sure about this? I don't want to assume anything."

Veronica pulls his arms tighter around her body. "I'm ready." She tilts her head back to look at Logan's face. "Are you?" She smirks mischievously.

"You have no idea." He breathes against her skin, in between peppered kisses down her neck as they awkwardly waddle, entwined, to the master bathroom.

Once they reach the expansive bathroom, Veronica breaks from Logan's hold and turns toward him, standing a few feet away. She looks deep into his eyes and sees desire and lust as she shakes her hips seductively and pulls her t-shirt over her head.

Logan's mouth goes dry watching her show as he leans against the bathroom doorframe. It takes every bit of restraint he can muster to not rip her clothes off and fuck her right there against the bathroom sink. "You're beautiful." He mumbles and swallows audibly as his eyes devour Veronica's body.

She reaches behind her back to unhook her bra and the doorbell echoes through the small house.

Veronica freezes in her position without removing her bra and Logan's fingers grip the doorframe until his knuckles are white. "Are you fuckin' kidding me?!" He sighs, rubbing his hand over his painfully hard erection.

"Oh geez." Veronica huffs under her breath as she leans on the edge of the tub, rolling her eyes and bowing her head as the doorbell rings again.

"Don't move. I'll go get rid of whoever's at the door and I'll be right back." Logan says quickly as he turns to leave his room, rubbing his hard-on and adjusting his pants.

The doorbell rings a third time and Logan checks to make sure he's presentable. _This is fuckin' unbelievably bad timing. _"This better be good." He mutters to himself as he swings the door open.

"Hey."

"Keith." He says through a fake smile and clenched teeth as Keith comes into his living room, holding a bottle of champagne and a large envelope.

Logan quickly adjusts his pants around his fading erection once Keith passes him and enters his house.

Veronica tiptoes to Logan's bedroom door, in only her jeans and bra, to try to identify the intruder, listening closely to the voices coming from the living room.

"I'm replacing your housewarming gift and checking up on my daughter." Keith looks around the first floor of the house. "I haven't seen her in a few days."

"Shit." She says quietly. _My dad's here. Fuck._ She scurries back to the bathroom and finds her shirt on the floor, putting it on as she walks.

Logan laughs and turns to face the man who has become a good friend and father figure in his life. _He must have a libido detector embedded in Ronnie's molar or something._ He points to the champagne in Keith's hand. "My replacement housewarming gift?"

Keith lifts the items in his hands, looking from the bottle of champagne to the large envelope and back to the champagne then places both objects on the counter with a chuckle. "No. This is your housewarming gift." He reaches in his shirt's chest pocket and hands Logan a small envelope.

Logan opens the envelope and smiles. "Thank you. Maybe I'll get really crazy and buy a new kitchen faucet or some exterior paint with your gift card. Thank you Keith, you didn't have to replace the book. It was the thought that counts."

Keith gestures with his hand. "It's the least I could do." He looks around the living room. "So, where's my daughter?"

Logan nods toward the steps. "Upstairs-…"

"Studying." Veronica says as she strolls down the steps and walks right to her dad for a big bear hug. "I was upstairs studying." She eyes Logan while she hugs Keith's body.

They break away from their embrace and Keith looks deep into Veronica's eyes. "Honey… you got some interesting mail yesterday. I thought I should bring it right over, the first chance I got."

Veronica furrows her brow as she looks at Logan then back to her dad. Logan walks to the other side of the kitchen island and watches the Mars interact.

"What kind of mail?" Veronica asks skeptically.

Keith holds up the large envelope with the logo of the F.B.I. in the top left corner of the paper.

Veronica snags the envelope from Keith's hand and gasps. "The F.B.I.? Oh my gosh. This is probably about my internship." Her eyes creep to Logan's face nervously and she's greeted with a broad smile.

Her breath hitches and her chest tightens with nerves as she fingers the paper of the envelope.

"Ronnie, just open it. You'll never know what they want unless you open the damn envelope." He smiles warmly at his girlfriend.

She bites her lower lip nervously and wipes her sweaty palms on her jeans. "It's only an internship, right? No big deal if I didn't get it, right?" Veronica's voice breaks as she looks at her father and her boyfriend, trying to delay opening the envelope a little bit longer.

Keith offers a warm smile of encouragement and waits for his daughter to find out if she will be a F.B.I. gopher all summer or not.

Veronica hands the envelope to Logan with a shaky hand. "Will you do the honors? I can't open it."

Logan takes the envelope from her fingers and smiles. "It's only an internship. There are other opportunities out there if they don't want you." He opens the flap quickly and pulls out the paperwork, reading out loud. "Dear Ms. Mars, we are happy to welcome you…"

"WOHOO!" Keith yells and twirls Veronica in his arms.

"…to our twelve-week internship program…"

"I got it!" She shouts with enthusiasm with her arms and legs flailing in the air in her father's arms. "I got it!"

"…in Langley, Virginia beginning May 20th." Logan says with excitement as he throws the paper and the envelope on the counter.

Keith releases Veronica from his hold and she runs into Logan's arms.

"You did it!" Logan shouts and kisses Veronica, clutching her body in his arms tightly. "You did it! Wohoo!" He pulls her off the ground several feet and shakes her up and down in a tight hug, kissing her cheek and placing her gently on the floor again.

"I knew we were going to be celebrating when I saw that envelope show up yesterday." Keith says as he pulls the foil and wire off the top of the champagne bottle.

Logan plants another long, but chaste, kiss on Veronica's lips as he releases her from his hold and looks through his minimal glassware selection for something remotely like champagne glasses.

Logan laughs as he places one champagne flute and two highball glasses on the countertop with a shrug. "I have no idea why I have one champagne glass in with the bar glasses but I do and I think Ronnie, the F.B.I. intern, should use it. What do you think, Keith?" Logan and Keith share a look and Keith gives Logan a nod in agreement.

Keith pops the cork then pours champagne in each of the glasses and holds his glass in the air to meet Logan and Veronica in celebration.

"To Veronica." Logan says with a big, adoring smile.

"My daughter the feebie." Keith says with pride.

The trio drink their champagne happily, draining their glasses and refilling them until the bottle is empty, sitting around Logan's kitchen island and chatting casually.

"When do I have to report to Virginia?" Veronica questions as she looks over the paperwork quickly with a slight champagne buzz. "May 20th? That's four days after finals end." She says with wide panicked eyes as she looks at Logan.

"Yeah." He shrugs casually with a gloomy smirk.

Keith notices the saddened exchange between the two young adults and attempts to lighten the sudden mood change in the room. "Logan, what are your plans for the summer?"

Logan rips his eyes from his girlfriend and smiles at his friend and mentor. "I think I'm going to go surfing in South America for a few weeks with Dick Casablancas." Logan glances at Veronica.

Veronica frowns as Logan continues. "I'll surf with Dick for a few weeks, I have things to do around the house, here and…" He looks at Veronica with a hopeful smile. "…Virginia is a flight away."

Veronica's face blooms with excitement. "You would come to Virginia to visit me?"

Logan laughs. "Sure. Why not? Flights from South America go to Dulles or Reagan National as easy as they go to LAX."

"It's only twelve weeks, Veronica. Once you get there and settled in, you'll blink and you'll be heading back home to start your sophomore year at Hearst." Keith encourages.

"I know." Veronica looks down at her hands and bites her bottom lip, deep in thought.

Keith pats her back lightly and stands at his seat. "You'll be fine, Honey. It's a great opportunity and I'm so proud of you." He kisses the top of her head and offers his hand to Logan, reaching over the counter. "Logan, don't go too crazy using up your gift card."

Logan laughs. "I'll do my best to restrain myself when I shop the bathroom aisle."

"Good to see you again Honey. Don't be a stranger. Backup misses you." Keith walks to the front door. "Now, get back to studying. The F.B.I. doesn't want any dopes working for them." He says over his shoulder as he lets himself out.

As soon as the front door shuts, Logan grabs Veronica's hand, stretching over the countertop. "Ronnie, we should get back to _studying_." He wiggles his eyebrows at his girlfriend.

Veronica smiles at the thought of their activities in Logan's master bathroom that were interrupted by Keith and slowly looks up at her boyfriend's smiling face. "Do you think he bought it? That I was studying?"

Logan shrugs. "I guess. He didn't seem like he questioned it. I think he was too busy thinking about the F.B.I. envelope in his hands, to tell you the truth."

Veronica shrugs and stands at her seat. She smirks mischievously and bolts up the steps yelling over her shoulder. "Last one upstairs is a rotten egg."

Hearing her words through a hazy champagne brain, it takes Logan a few seconds to respond and chase after the tiny, but fast, woman of his dreams. As he reaches the top of the steps, he spots her shirt lying in the hallway and stops his pursuit, picking up her shirt and smelling it with an extended inward breath.

He takes a few more steps and sees a pile of Veronica's jeans sitting on his bedroom floor. "I like these breadcrumbs, Gretel, but it would have been more fun to remove the wrapper before I get to eat the candy." He says with a raised voice as he picks up her bra from the floor and approaches the bathroom door.

Logan pushes the slightly ajar door open and sees Veronica standing at the bathtub's edge in one of his t-shirts, hanging down loosely to her knees and his hard cock jumps with excitement.

"Well, Hansel, it's not naughty lingerie but it's the best I could do in short notice."

Logan swallows and drops her discarded clothing at his feet, stepping to her with desire in his eyes. "Oh, but it's so much better." He utters as his eyes examine her body, lustfully.

She smirks and tugs at the hem of his shirt, pulling the cotton material tight against her breasts and her aroused nipples poke out from under their covering as she arches her back slightly, accentuating her best qualities and Logan steps to her slowly with a rock hard erection.

He leans close to her ear, without touching her body, he mutters with a sexy low voice and Veronica's knees soften to jelly. "You just satisfied one of my many fantasies, Bobcat, and you have no idea how fuckin' hot you are in one of my t-shirts." He tickles the edge of her ear with his tongue and steps back to ogle her hard nipples hiding under the taut t-shirt.

She eyes his body, noticing the impressive bump in his jeans, Veronica steps closer to Logan, rubbing her hands over his strong chest and stomach muscles as she looks up into his dark brown eyes. "Who has too many clothes on now?" She whispers as she untucks his t-shirt, pulling the material out of his jeans and bites her lower lip without looking away from his eyes.

He silently lifts his arms to ease her removal of his t-shirt. Her fingers touch every inch of his tan skin as she slowly pushes the cotton shirt off of his body, paying extra attention to his extended chest muscles as Logan raises his arms above his head.

She leans toward his body and their chests touch gently when she reaches, rising on her toes to help pull the shirt over his head, popping his skull from the shirt with messy hair, Logan drops his shirt from his fingertips onto the floor and feels her hard nipples graze his chest.

Veronica drops to stand flat-footed again, leaving a small amount of space between their bodies. Her breath catches when she sees her boyfriend standing in front of her, shirtless, inviting her to touch his toned, warm, muscular body and she bites her lower lip as her fingers walk over his skin toward the fly of his jeans.

Logan stands tall, watching Veronica's finger touch his torso and his eyes follow her tongue, licking her full lips before her front tooth bites into the pink flesh and his heart skips a beat as her fingers tickle his goodie trail, the hair under his navel, leading a path to his treasures hiding beneath his pants.

He watches her nimble fingers unbuckle his belt and unsnap and unzip his jeans and it takes every bit of strength for Logan not to touch her body at that moment. He lets her set the pace, taking a deep breath and slowly releases the air from his lungs as Veronica's hand slips under the denim and she cups his erection with only a thin layer of silk boxer shorts in between her hand and his body.

Her eyes meet his as she caresses his body and his head drops back as he releases a low moan.

Veronica's hand continues stroking Logan's cock as her other hand opens his jeans further, resting them on his hips and pushing his boxers down to meet his pants, springing his dick from it's confined area, she adjusts her grip on his erection and pumps with more vigor.

Logan exhales loudly with his eyes closed and his head back, enjoying the feel of Veronica's hands around his engorged shaft. He rolls his head forward and clutches her face in his hands, pulling her into a heated, passionate kiss.

In one swift move, he bends slightly and lifts her petite body in his arms, never breaking their soul-searching kiss and walks them to his king-sized bed.

She gasps in his mouth as her legs are swept off the ground into his arms. "Tub?" Is the only word she can mutter as his tongue invades her mouth.

"Later." He breathes and gently places her on his bed.

Logan stands at the edge of the bed admiring Veronica's swollen lips and heated skin as his eyes move down her body and lock on her rock-hard nipples poking up from under his t-shirt and his mouth goes dry. He pulls her body toward him and places her perfectly at the edge of the mattress, dropping to his knees before her.

His t-shirt rides up her body as she moves across the bed and it sits across her stomach, exposing her center, inviting Logan to play.

Veronica positions her feet flat on the mattress and curls her toes over the mattress edge, opening her legs wide for her lover as he kisses the inside of her right knee. His fingertips tickle the delicate flesh of her inner thigh, slowly creeping toward her core and he can smell her arousal.

Logan opens her folds and thumbs her clitoris as Veronica gasps at his touch and arches into his hand.

"Oh God." She breathes and his index finger teases the opening of her vagina. Slowly, circling the outer edge, continuing to thumb her clit, he pushes his finger into her warm canal and she bucks her hips. Caressing her inner vaginal walls with his finger, she moans a deep, low tone.

He thrusts his index finger in and out and quickly adds his middle digit in her opening and Veronica gasps in response. Logan explores her heated core, touching her walls and poking her sensitive cervix with his long fingers as Veronica moans loudly, arches into his hand and clutching the comforter in both hands.

"Please, Logan." She whines, about to lose control as he quickly pulls his fingers out of her center and replaces them with his tongue, circling her opening and curling his flesh to press her inner walls, in and out, in and out, as his thumb rubs her clitoris unrelentingly and Veronica climaxes hard, thrusting her hips repeatedly in rapid succession. "Oh! My! God! Oh fuck! Loooogannnnn! Oh God! Oh God!"

He continues his assault as her nerves burst with passion and muscles tighten and throb with desire.

Logan slows his thumb's pace as he licks her slit clean of its juices and she moans her appreciation as her body hums from her powerful release.

He wipes his mouth on the bedding and kisses up his girlfriend's agitated body, nudging his t-shirt up her abdomen with every kiss, sucking and licking her skin until he reaches her plump breasts. Logan's mouth devours her left nipple, stroking her oversensitive nub with his tongue.

"Oh God." Veronica moans with a glowing smile, arching her back pushing her breast into Logan's mouth and her fingers through his hair.

His fingers gently fondle her right boob as her lips and tongue work the left, biting and sucking until her pink flesh peaks with arousal.

Logan kisses the tender skin of Veronica's cleavage, working his way to her right breast, giving it the attention it deserves as his right hand palms her other boob, rubbing and pulling her nipple as she moans and directs his head where she desires.

His left hand slides down her body, finding her warm folds again as Veronica wiggles under his touch and three fingers penetrate her canal.

"Logan, you're going to kill me." She breathes, bending away from the mattress and into his multiple caresses.

"What a way to go." He chuckles against her fleshy mound and she giggles as his whiskers tickle her stimulated skin.

Veronica tugs lightly on Logan's hair, pulling his head up to meet her face as they look deep into each other's eyes.

"I love you, Logan." She states firmly with a sultry voice.

Logan smiles and nuzzles his nose against her cheek while his hands continue their sexy assault on her body. "I love you too, Veronica." His lips find her mouth as she opens, allowing his tongue entrance and she wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

His hands tuck around her back and they roll across the bed, joined by their mouths, until Veronica covers Logan's larger form and their kiss intensifies.

After a few moments, Veronica breaks their kiss and sits upright, her legs straddling Logan's waist and her hands exploring his defined chest. His hands rest on her hips, tickling her soft skin as they pause for a second, enjoying their closeness and catch their breaths.

Logan's fingers creep up her torso and push his t-shirt up the length of her small body as he sits up and Veronica adjusts her position, sitting on his denim-clad lap more comfortably. She raises her arms to aid the removal of his clothing from her body, accentuating her perky breasts and Logan's mouth sucks greedily on her nipple while his arms pull her closer to him, kneading the expanse of her back with his fingers.

She lets the shirt drop from her fingertips as she rolls her pelvis against his erection and hangs her head back with her arms over her head and her fingers tangling in her hair. "Oh God, don't stop. Logan, don't fuckin' stop."

His tongue grazes her taut right nipple just before he bites lightly on her pink pearl and his hand copies the movement of his mouth on her left breast, pulling and rolling the nub in his fingers.

"Fucking A! That feels so fuckin' good." Veronica breathes as her head rolls forward and her fingers playfully pull his hair. "So fucking good."

Veronica's continuous grinding against his painfully hard erection is too much for Logan and he moans. "I need to be inside you, Ronnie." He bites her nipple and expertly rolls their bodies, positioning Veronica, naked and ready, under his energized form.

He kisses over to her other nipple and bites gently, making her moan. Logan plants kisses down her body quickly as he bends to stand at the edge of the bed and drops his jeans and boxers to the floor.

Veronica's eyes scan his body, concentrating on his nicely equipped boner and smiles, wiggling her finger at him. "Come here, Big Boy, we've got some lovin' to do."

Logan looks down at his beautiful girlfriend spread for him, inviting him, demanding him to make love to her and he licks his lips in anticipation. "Hold on, Bobcat."

He reaches for the bedside table drawer, in search of a condom, and slams it shut. "Fuck." Logan scurries around the end of the bed, to the other bedside table and opens the drawer dramatically. "God damn it." He looks around his bedroom with determination in his eyes. "I haven't had sex in this house yet. I don't know where the condoms are packed."

Veronica laughs, looking up at her boyfriend from her upside down position, lying on the large bed as her hands dance across her stimulated skin. "Don't you have one in your wallet?"

He bites his lip and looks around the room. "Where the fuck is my wallet?"

"My messenger bag. I have a few in there." She realizes. "It's right inside the front door, on the floor."

Logan rushes out of the room and finds her bag, bringing it into his bedroom and throwing it on the bed. "You can get them quicker than I can find them." He states as Veronica searches her messenger bag.

"Wallah!" She pulls a string of four condom squares out of her bag and pushes her bag to the floor.

"I knew there was a reason why I loved you." Logan says as he takes a flying leap onto the bed, making Veronica's petite body bounce on the mattress and her giggles fill the room.

He wiggles on his stomach toward Veronica and grasps her face in his hands, hovering over her body and staring deep into her eyes. "I've missed you, Ronnie."

He can feel the electric energy between their bodies as his thumb tenderly glides over her cheek and she rolls on her side, kissing his mouth with a hot, steamy kiss. Veronica pushes Logan's weight back on the bed and takes the condom from his fingers, without breaking their passionate kiss.

"I need you now." She whispers as Logan puts his arms behind his head and watches the love of his life rip the foil packet, quickly kiss the tip of his penis one time and unroll the condom onto his raging wood.

Veronica smirks mischievously and waggles her eyebrows as she throws her leg over his body and straddles his hard-on.

"I love a woman that knows what she wants." He jokes as Veronica puts all of her weight on her arms, resting her palms on his chest and floats her wet core just above Logan's protected penis.

"I want you to make me scream." She says in a sultry bedroom voice and Logan responds by placing his hands on her hips and swiftly moving her body down onto his cock, slipping his erection smoothly into her vagina and they both moan with pleasure, grinding their bodies together and finding a perfect rhythm.

Logan lifts his hands to her small, perky tits and massages as Veronica's head drifts back, raising her arms over her head and leans into his hands, pressing his cock deep into her canal. He squeezes and palms her breasts as his hips thrust upward in a recurring pattern.

His thumbs push on her nipples, sending sparks through her body as she moves her hips in a circle.

"Oh God, Babe."

The sound of his voice brings Veronica out of her reverie as she looks down at her boyfriend and covers his hands with hers. His breath hitches as he slips his hands down her stomach and she continues to work her tits in just the right way, pulling and squeezing and twisting her nipples in perfect tempo to his thrusts upward.

Logan rests his left hand on her hip and slips his right hand in between their bodies, flicking and caressing and rubbing Veronica's clitoris and he can feel her pace quicken.

"Cum for me, Ronnie. Scream my name." He grunts as their eyes lock and her inner muscles tighten around his cock. "Come on, let go, Babe, let go."

Veronica cradles her boobs in her hands and pulls her nipples, twisting them in her fingertips just as Logan pushes in deep and touches her cervix. "Oh! Fuck!" She screams.

"Oh! My! God!" She thrashes her hips against Logan's body as waves of energy ripple through her body and her muscles explode with ecstasy.

Veronica's vaginal walls squeeze his engorged erection, sending Logan over the edge with his girlfriend as her extra long orgasm bursts through her body.

He thrusts upward awkwardly as every nerve ending sizzles with pleasure and semen squirts into the condom, draining his penis dry at the same time Veronica flops on to his chest, exhausted and sweaty.

Logan wraps his arms around Veronica's tiny figure and they lay there, out of breath and tired, for a few minutes.

"I can't move." Veronica mumbles against his chest and he looks down at her peaceful glow and smiles.

"That was fucking incredible, Babe." Logan kisses the top of her head.

"Uh huh." She grunts in response. "Fucking incredible." She repeats.

"Ronnie, I gotta get rid of this condom." Logan says quietly as his fingers tickle her sweaty back.

"Alright." She whines into his chest without moving any part of her body.

Logan pushes her shoulders off his torso lightly as Veronica peels her slick skin from his and rolls onto the bed as his tired dick slumps out from her core, resulting in a groan from the tiny female.

He laughs and discards the used condom in the trashcan next to the bed and settles back in bed, spooning Veronica.

"Mmm." She grunts as she presses her body to Logan's and his strong arms wrap around her figure.

He nuzzles his nose in her neck when his cell phone rings on the bedside table.

"Shit." Logan says under his breath and pulls Veronica closer to his chest. "I am never moving from this spot. They can leave a fuckin' message."

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Veronica's body jumps in Logan's arms when his cell phone rings from the bedside table. Her sudden movement wakes both of them from their post-orgasm nap. Logan groans and sits up, grabbing his phone quickly without looking at the caller ID. "Hello."

"Dude, where the hell are you? There are bitchin' babes at this beach party and you need to get your ass down here now!" Dick yells into the phone.

"Dick, I have a girlfriend and I'm not coming to a Pi Sig beach party." Logan rolls his eyes. "Goodbye."

"W-wait, Dude!" Dick snaps before Logan can hang up on his best friend.

Logan exhales loudly. "What? Get to the point, Dick."

"You wanna surf tomorrow morning? Out back, behind your place?"

"Sure, what time?" Logan concedes.

"How 'bout seven?"

"Fine. See you then." Logan hangs up and throws his cell phone on the bedside table then turns and snuggles in next to Veronica. "I'm surfing tomorrow with Dick."

"Uh huh." Veronica grunts through her sleepy haze.

Logan's fingers tickle her stomach as he kisses her neck, from his spooning position, behind her, and whispers in her ear. "How 'bout that bubble bath now?"

"Mmm. That's sounds wonderful." She purrs and turns in Logan's arms.

"Or we can stay right here." Logan offers, kissing her neck and collarbone.

"No, I want to do it in your Jacuzzi tub." She waggles her eyebrows at her boyfriend and he smiles bright.

"Miss Mars, you little vixen you." He kisses her mouth soundly as his fingers rest on her naked hip.

Veronica looks deep into Logan's eyes and speaks just above a whisper, biting her bottom lip nervously. "Was this really the first time you've had sex in this house?"

He laughs. "Yeah. Who would I have been with? After you, I was only with Parker and we never got past second base."

She holds back a smile, biting her lip and looking at her fingers tickle his chest. "Good."

"Are we going to christen every room?" He kisses her forehead gently and continues without expecting an answer to his question. "One down and… let's see…" Logan counts on his fingers dramatically, mumbling as he ticks off the rooms of his house. "…that makes ten, if you count the porch and the beach…"

"The beach?" She laughs, cutting off his sentence. "Since when has the beach been one of the rooms in your house?"

"Since, dah, the beach _is_ my backyard." Logan clarifies as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"You wouldn't make home improvements to the beach." She states firmly. "You can't count that."

"I can and will." He punctuates his statement with multiple soft kisses against her neck. "The beach is at the end of the path that leads to the porch which, is our next project by the way, and the porch is attached to the house. The beach stays on the list."

Veronica thinks for a moment and speaks softly. "You want to have sex at the beach? You've never done that before?"

"No." Logan says defensively. "Have you?"

"No." She says shyly. "I just thought… you're always at the beach… you would have… didn't you and Lilly?"

"Nah. We used to drink at the beach and go elsewhere for fun." He shrugs and moves the hair from her forehead and kisses the bare spot tenderly. "Besides, I want to have sex _with you_ at the beach."

Veronica peppers kisses on his chest as she speaks. "Aren't you scared that one little, tiny, miniscule, insignificant piece of sand is going to get lodged in the wrong place, making the fun of sex, how should I say, a little more _abrasive_?"

Logan's nose wrinkles in disgust. "Ow." He pauses for a moment and thinks of how much sand makes up the beach. "We'll just have to take a blanket or two or three to keep the sand away from…" He clears his throat. "…the wet parts."

She laughs and slaps his chest playfully. "Yuck."

He laughs and pulls her body tighter to his chest. "Hey, we are having sex on the beach and that's the end of it. So, get ready, Mars, I will blow your mind and if sand happens to get in the way…" He grins wide. "…maybe you'll like it."

"Ew." She smacks his chest again and sits up. "Come on. Let's go see what _improvements_ we need to do in the master bathroom." Veronica pulls Logan to a sitting position and they walk hand-in-hand to his expansive two-man Jacuzzi tub.

**VMVMVMVMVM**

"Damn." Veronica falls against Logan's chest, splashing the bubbly water over the edge of the large tub.

"Fuck, we are _definitely_ doing it in this tub again." Logan pants as he runs his fingertips up and down Veronica's slick, soapy back.

"Uh huh." She moans, walking her fingers across his wet chest. "I love you, Logan Echolls."

He kisses the top of her sweaty head as he takes her hand in his and tangles their fingers together. "I love you too, Veronica Mars."

Veronica peppers kisses all over Logan's chest with her legs straddling his body as the waves of warm water ripple against their bodies.

"Babe?" He holds up their entwined hands. "We are wrinkly and need to get out of this tub before we stay pruney." Logan pauses, kissing each of her fingers. "Plus, I'm hungry."

She sits upright and smiles. "Do you have ice cream?"

"Didn't you get some the last time you went to the store?" Logan shrugs as Veronica ponders his question. "If we're out of ice cream, we still have leftover egg rolls from last night."

"Yummy." She slowly unravels her limbs from his and stands cautiously as Logan climbs to an upright position and unplugs the drain with his toe.

They towel off quickly and throw on minimal clothing before they go to the kitchen in search of ice cream and leftover take-out food.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

"Mmmmm." Veronica moans, savoring her last bite of egg roll from her position sitting on the kitchen island.

Logan looks up from his General Tso's chicken when Veronica moans with pleasure.

"That was so good." She innocently draws out each word for emphasis in a low bedroom voice as she licks each of her fingers clean.

Logan watches his girlfriend seductively lick and suck her fingers and his dick stiffens instantly. He slowly places the Chinese carton and chopsticks on the kitchen counter and steps in between her legs without looking away from her self-administered spit bath.

Veronica's eyes rise and lock with Logan's as he nears and she unconsciously spreads her legs, permitting his closeness and invasion into her personal space.

"I'm going to fuck you right here on the countertop if you keep moaning like that." Logan says with a husky voice.

Veronica smirks mischievously and continues sucking her fingers, long and hard, tempting Logan as she adds an exaggerated moan in for good measure, never breaking eye contact with her boyfriend.

Logan looks into her beautiful blue eyes and slowly leans into his girlfriend, grabbing the back of her neck and directing her mouth to land on his as his hand slides up her thigh and under his t-shirt to her breast, causing Veronica to gasp at the feeling of his touch.

She shimmies to the edge of the counter and fumbles with the zipper and the snap of his cargo shorts while their tongues fight for dominance.

Their mouths break from each other as they pant heated breaths and Veronica's hands desperately open Logan's shorts, releasing his hard cock. She pushes his cargo shorts over his hips and they fall to the floor with a 'thump' as her hand wraps around Logan's dick.

"Oh fuck, Ronnie." He breathes heavily. "If you keep doing that, I'm gonna cum." Logan steps closer to the counter, licking his index and middle fingers and quickly inserting them into Veronica's core.

She bucks her hips and grips Logan's shoulder. "Oh God!"

"God damn, you're wet." He grunts, removing his fingers and pushes his erection into her center with force.

Veronica's legs instinctively wrap around his body and pull him closer as he thrusts rapidly.

"It's not going to take me long." Logan says as he quickens his frantic pace. "It was all that moaning that did it to me."

"I'm close." Veronica moans. "Oh, so fuckin' close. Yes!" She pushes her groin down into Logan, forcing his shaft to go deep into her canal.

She arches into his movements, adding to the friction and drops her head back. "Oh God."

Logan moves his hands under Veronica's shirt and roughly palms her tits as he continues pounding into her body.

"Oh God! That feels so fuckin' good." She moans as her hand falls in between their gyrating bodies and she rubs her clit while Logan pulls and twists her nipples. "Yes! Yes! Right there! Oh God!" Veronica screams as her vision goes white and she explodes.

"Fuck!" Logan shuts his eyes tightly, grabbing the edge of the counter for balance and swiftly pulls his dick out of Veronica's opening, ejaculating all over her thigh. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" He mutters as his warm, milky liquid squirts onto her delicate skin.

Veronica leans back on her locked arms and breathes heavily. "Jesus. That came on fast." She laughs. "You alright?"

Logan loosens his grip on the countertop and lifts his head slightly, smiling. "Yeah, I'm good." He pants and lightly strokes the outside of Veronica's calf. "I'm real good, Sugarpuss." He looks at the mess he made on her leg and steps over his shorts on the floor, in search of a paper towel or tissue to clean up his mess.

"Thanks for pulling out." She looks at the puddle of semen dripping down her leg. "I'm still on the pill, just so you know…" Veronica shrugs shyly, looking down. "…for, ah, next time."

Logan places a warm, wet washcloth on her skin and cleans the area, looking at her downward turned face. "Veronica…" He directs her head up with one finger under her chin and Logan stares deep into his girlfriend's eyes. "…that was a spontaneous thing and I shouldn't have done that without a condom…" He gently rubs his thumb over her lips. "…I certainly wasn't going to cum inside you without protection. That's just being reckless, pill or no pill. Okay?" Logan says softly. "I love you but we need to be smart, no matter how spontaneous we're being."

She smiles bashfully. "Kitchen countertop after a midnight snack is pretty spontaneous."

He kisses the tip of her nose. "I'm never going to look at his countertop the same way again."

She laughs. "Make sure to clean off this counter before you have breakfast tomorrow." Veronica jumps down off the counter and goes to the freezer for some ice cream as Logan pulls on his cargo shorts again.

"Well, if we keep going at this pace, we'll have christened the entire house in one night, Bobcat." Logan waggles his eyebrows at Veronica and she shakes her head.

"And I won't be able to walk tomorrow." She dips a spoon into the tub of Ben and Jerry's Half Baked ice cream and offers the spoonful of goodness to her boyfriend.

He eats the ice cream off the spoon with a lecherous lick. "Mmm. Thank you."

A genuine smile expressing contentment and happiness grows across Veronica's face as she and Logan sit on two kitchen stools, facing each other eating ice cream off of one spoon.

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Logan leisurely walks up the stairs with a full stomach, leading Veronica by the hand. She follows him down the hall in the direction of the master bedroom when Logan turns on his heel and guides her to her room, the guest room.

"What are you doing?" She giggles when he does a swan dive onto the queen-sized guest bed.

"There are major improvements that need to be made in this room." He laughs as Veronica takes a running jump onto the bed and lands perfectly in the nook of his arm. "Babe, you couldn't do that again if you tried."

"Watch me." She climbs off the bed again and goes to the doorway to try a second perfect dive when Logan holds up his hand.

"Wait! Before your second attempt, can you go in the other room and grab the condoms?" He gives her a broad smile and tilts his head slightly with a wink of his eye.

She huffs out a long, dramatic breath and slumps her shoulders in defeat as she turns and hunts for the string of condoms in the master bedroom. Returning quickly, she throws the remaining condoms at Logan's head and runs for the bed, tucking and rolling masterfully, landing in the same exact position again.

He laughs. "Impressive." Logan rolls on top of her small frame and begins nuzzling his nose in her neck, kissing her skin lightly. "Now, on with those _improvements_."

**VMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVMVM**

Veronica wakes up and stretches her body, pulling the expensive sheet over her naked body as she opens her eyes slowly and looks around the room. _No Logan, where did he run off to? Mmm, I smell coffee. I _need_ a cup of coffee before I do anything._

She climbs out of the guest room bed and finds a super fluffy white robe lying on the foot of the bed. _Perfect_.

Veronica slips the soft, cotton robe over her body and cuddles into it, noticing the Neptune Grand's logo on the left side. _Nice. At least he got one good thing out of that place for all the money he pumped into it. _She thinks as she crosses the hallway and quickly brushes her teeth.

She slowly walks down the steps, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and walks into the kitchen. Veronica jumps a foot off the ground when she Logan and Dick, sitting at Logan's kitchen island.

"Shit. You scared the crap out of me." Veronica's eyes adjust from the bright sun, filling the room, as she smiles and focuses on Logan.

Dick hunches over his coffee cup, half asleep, when Veronica appears at the bottom of the stairs in Logan's stolen, white Neptune Grand bathrobe and nothing else and Dick almost chokes on his coffee. "Damn, Ronnie, you look good." He ogles her bare legs, plunging neckline and messy bed head and smirks. He peripherally watches Veronica meander over to Logan.

She silently strides to the other side of the kitchen counter, without breaking eye contact with her boyfriend and Logan returns her smile as he recaps the events of the previous night, greeting Veronica with a welcoming arm, inviting her onto his lap.

She slides on his lap and places both hands on his cheeks, staring deep into his brown eyes and purrs. "Good morning."

"Hi." He breathes.

Dick ignores the couple's overly sweet greeting and turns around in his seat, facing Logan and Veronica and watches the entwined, kissing couple. "It must be the freshly fucked glow, huh, Ronnie?"

"Shut up, Dick." Logan warns, glaring at his best friend briefly before returning his attention back to Veronica.

"We had to make some _improvements_ around the house last night." Veronica whispers against Logan's lips with an eyebrow wiggle.

"Mmm." Logan smiles and speaks in a sultry, low voice. "_Many_ improvements."

"It's about fuckin' time." Dick mutters, turning back to his coffee and sipping from his cup.

The End.

**A/N:** A great big bear hug to Mojo and Bella for listening to me whine and demanding the smut.


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